Breathing life back into Brownhill Bridge Mill
Hello! Welcome to Brownhill Bridge Mill.
We've made this website to share our exciting plans for the historic mill site. Take a look around and let us know what you think. Share your ideas with us and get involved. We hope you get as excited as we are!
Our Story
Brownhill Bridge Mill was purchased over 14 years ago, mainly driven by our love for the building and its rich history. There has been various ideas for the site over the years but sadly, and for many different reasons, we haven't landed on a scheme that was viable, until now.
Throughout these years of exploration there has been one consistent school of thought - which was that we felt passionate about preserving the building's history and bringing it back to its former glory. We feel a huge sense of responsibility to save the historic building from total collapse, so we're delighted to have landed on a scheme that will breathe life back into Brownhill, whilst enabling the community to enjoy the building too.
Some history
Brownhill Bridge Mill dates back to 1772 and is thought to be one of the earliest mills to survive within the local area. Initially it was used as a scribbling mill, but it has since had various uses over the years.
By the early 1800’s it was used for cotton spinning and the latter part of this century saw the mill used as a tannery - all powered by a waterwheel inside the building, using water diverted from Diggle Brook. By the mid 1900’s the mill ceased to be used for textiles and became a fibreglass works.
Learn more about Brownhill Bridge Mill’s history by clicking the button below.
The Development
A carefully planned scheme to save the dilapidated mill site from extinction
In a nutshell
The proposed development will bring back the dilapidated grade II listed building to its former glory and provide luxury holiday accommodation at the mill site. Plans have been submitted to OMBC.
The development will restore the original grade II listed mill building and replace the poor quality, unsympathetic extensions with a newly designed 'wing' building. The replacement of the extensions will provide accommodation in a new structure that will better reveal the most historic parts of the building, whilst being more sympathetic to the building's industrial heritage. Overall, the proposed extension will be smaller in size than the previous extensions the mill has been subjected to.
The restoration will create 11 self-contained holiday apartments, complete with woodland nature garden and ample parking to support the scheme.
The detail
You'll find a video and some images below for a more detailed visualisation of the development, plus lots more information to help you understand the scheme in more detail. You'll also find our FAQ's section below to answer some of your most common questions.
Please do visit our contact us page if you have any questions or feedback you'd like to share with us - we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Take a look around
Our Mission
Preserve history
We are passionate about Brownhill Bridge Mill's history and preserving it is at the top of our agenda. The structural condition of the building is in a worrying state so it's crucial that we reach a viable solution soon so we don't lose this wonderful building. Together with HNA architects and designers at My Secret House we have designed a building that not only preserves the original fabric of the mill but also retains internal features where possible, capturing the buildings rich history throughout.
Create a shared space
After many ideas and possible uses for the mill being considered over the years, we're excited to have landed on an idea that the community can enjoy with us. Creating 11 luxury holiday lets will enable us to open the building up for communities to enjoy for years to come. In addition, our planned co-working space and proposed market area for the ground floor will encourage local enterprise and create a space to bring creative trades back into the mill. Find out more about this here.
Local enterprise
Saddleworth is a tourist hotspot, which is no surprise considering what a beautiful part of the world it is. Developing purpose-built holiday accommodation will bring more jobs and encourage tourism into the area. We're also planning to use the ground floor space to encourage collaboration & innovation with a co-working space. This will double up as a market space for independent retailers to sell their products - bringing trade back into the mill site. Find out more about this here.
Nature garden
With Saddleworth's dramatic Pennine scenery, Brownhill Bridge Mill is lucky enough to have beautiful woodland gardens to its rear, brimming with nature & wildlife.
We are committed to protecting the site's wildlife and bringing our guests closer to nature. Aside from the environmental benefits the natural world has, the Wildlife Trust has evidence that a thriving, wildlife-rich environment benefits both physical and mental health! What better environment to soak up on short break away from day-to-day life?
There's lots that we're looking at here, from wild flower patches and plant gardens to the creation of new habitats like hedgehog houses and bee hotels. If you're passionate about the environment, we'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas for our green space!
A space for enterprise
We are excited to bring to you 'The Hub' at Brownhill.
A space to encourage collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship.
A co-working space during the week, meets a makers-market at the weekend. The Hub will become a hive of activity, crafts, trades and commerce.
Click below to find our more about The Hub at Brownhill.
More Information
Financial Viability
Brownhill Bridge Mill is in desperate need of repair & restoration. Due to the nature of the structure and the listed building status, investment required to regenerate it is substantial. In order to make the project financially viable the scheme needs to offer longevity with long-term financial stability. We're thrilled to have landed on a solution which offers just that, whilst also allowing the community to enjoy the space too.
Local Infrastructure
Although Brownhill Bridge Mill would have once been a busy & bustling mill site, the proposed regeneration will naturally bring more visitors to the mill compared to what it has seen in recent years. We're fully committed to ensuring the necessary infrastructure is considered as part of our plans. We're liaising closely with local authorities, have commissioned a highways specialist and have ensured ample parking is available on site to cater for our visitors.
A Sympathetic Restoration
Retaining Brownhill Bridge Mill's charm and heritage is our number one priority. We are working with design specialists at My Secret House and award-winning architect's HNA - both local firms who are familiar with Oldham's industrial history and have worked on many grade II listed buildings before. We are also working with an independent heritage consultant and so we're confident that we've got the best team in place to keep the regeneration sympathetic and true to the original character of the building.
FAQ's
Q: What about access to Brownhill Bridge Mill?
A: We have worked with the local authorities and a highways expert to ensure that access to Brownhill Bridge Mill is safe, practical and well thought through. Site access will continue to be via Lower Fields, however as per our discussions with highways experts and the local authority, we will be increasing the width slightly to allow cars to pass each other. The entry area into the new car park will be well set-back from Lower Fields which will improve the road for both visitors and existing residents.
Q: It's right next to the river, is there a flood risk to consider?
A: Being so close to the river we of course have to think about the risk of flood. For this reason, there is no 'living' accommodation on the lower ground floor of the original mill building. The lower ground floor will be occupied by 'The Hub'. You can find out more about 'The Hub' on our website. Throughout the design process, we have worked closely with the Environment Agency and a Flood Risk Assessor to ensure that our plans are both practical and safe, whilst ensuring the building is used to its full potential.
Q: How many parking spaces will there be?
A: We currently have 23 parking spaces in our plans. With 11 holiday apartments it's important that we have enough spaces to cater to our guests, who may arrive in more than one car. In addition to this we need to ensure there are enough spaces for visitors to 'The Hub'. The last thing we want is to cause difficulties on the main road due to lack of parking.
Q: What about protected tree's?
A: We are aware that several tree's on-site are protected by a Tree Preservation Order. We're working with a specialist tree surveyor and the council's Tree Officers - all to help protect and minimise any impact on existing trees. The character of this part of Dobcross/Uppermill is green and tree-filled, which makes the area so special. We are committed to planting new tree's on site, in particular to replace any that might have to be lost in order to save the historic building.
Q: Is the new extension bigger than the extensions it will replace?
A: No! The new 'wing' building is smaller in size than the extensions it will replace. The proposal is that the wing building will replace a timber store-house (demolished several years ago, on safety grounds) and the dilapidated re-brick extension that still stands today. The wing building has been designed with a footprint that is approximately one-third smaller than what it will replace. It will use materials that are more in-keeping with the mill's industrial heritage.
Q: Will the holiday lets be self-catered?
A: Yes. Each apartment will have a kitchenette with a dining area. Guests can either go out and enjoy the fabulous eateries of Saddleworth, or stay in and cook up a feast for a cosy night in.
Q: How much will it cost to stay at Brownhill Bridge Mill?
A: We aren't at the stage to say just yet, however we're committed to ensuring our accommodation is fairly priced.
If you have a question that you've not managed to find the answer to on this website, please do reach out via our contact us page. We're really keen to hear your thoughts and get our community involved, so we'd be pleased to hear from you! We'll keep updating this FAQ's list as more questions come in.