£20,000 Grant Success for Valley Heritage Creates Hope for Bacup's Waterside Mill

Historic Photo of Waterside Mill

Published June 3, 2016 at 9:02

Valley Heritage has received confirmation of £10,000 each from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) to explore if Waterside Mill in Bacup can be saved for future generations.

The project will allow support from heritage professionals to identify if this heritage building can be saved, what repairs are needed, what they will cost and what uses the building could be put to in the future.

Built as a spinning mill in 1839, Grade II Listed Waterside Mill was damaged by a fire in May 2003 and has since deteriorated, with Rossendale Borough Council stepping in and undertaking emergency works late in 2015.

With the support of Regenerate Pennine Lancashire and Bacup THI – Rossendale Borough Council and Valley Heritage have since been working together to give Waterside Mill the best possible chance of becoming a positive part of Bacup’s future, instead of a blight as it is today.

Recent changes to the Conservation Area and this new grant funding are the first steps in the strategy.

Bethan Frost, Conservation Officer for Rossendale Borough Council welcomed the grant success saying;

“Waterside Mill represents an important part of Rossendale’s textile heritage and is sited on a significant gateway site. We have recently included Waterside Mill within the Bacup Town Centre Conservation Area. Working with Valley Heritage and other key stakeholders, we hope to find a solution to this long-term heritage asset at risk.”

Valley Heritage was established to be a positive force for heritage across Rossendale, focusing on securing the future of heritage at risk buildings, creating opportunities to improve communities and providing activity for the people of Rossendale to learn about their local heritage.

Commenting on their grant success, Stephen Anderson, Chairperson of Valley Heritage said:

“We are delighted to have received the support of the Architectural Heritage Fund and The Heritage Lottery Fund to give Waterside Mill one last chance of finding a positive future. It really is now or never for this important building.”

Stephen went on to say:

“The support we have received from Rossendale Borough Council has been brilliant, their work in Bacup is why Historic England has said in their latest ‘at risk survey’ that Bacup is ‘improving’ and this funding from AHF and HLF is part of that ongoing work.”

Valley Heritage will be working with partners over the next few months to assess the building and welcomes contact from anyone interesting in volunteering to help on the project.

Below are images from the surveyor scans;