Big Mill, Leek
Archival photography print of Big Mill on Mill Street, Leek, the historic Staffordshire silk mill. Available in A5, A4 and A3.
Big Mill rises six storeys over Mill Street in Leek, a giant of Staffordshire's silk industry designed by the architect William Sugden and completed in 1857. Twenty-one bays long and five deep, it was built on a scale meant to impress, and it still dominates the townscape today.
For much of its life it was home to the renowned silk firm Wardle and Davenport, pioneers of artificial silk stockings, who at their height employed as many as 2,500 people. The firm fell into receivership in 1970, and the Grade II listed mill has since awaited its next chapter, a monument to the industry that shaped the town.
This photograph captures Big Mill's quiet grandeur, a reminder of Leek's place in Staffordshire's working history. Printed on premium 230gsm archival matte paper, available in A5, A4 and A3, hand-printed and posted by me here in the Potteries, with free UK delivery.
