A bit of history

So it's no coincidence, that in 1847, it took a Victorian textiles magnate called John Murgatroyd to build Oats Royd Mill. (Maybe that's where the 'Royd' bit comes from.)

Water-powered mills were then the norm for that era of the Luddenden Valley. But not for Oats Royd Mill. This was steam-powered, because that's what Mr. Murgatroyd wanted. And, being a magnate - he got it.

What the people of Halifax got in return was one of the largest worsted mills in the country. Bearing in mind that the West Riding of Yorkshire was at the time bursting with magnificent monolithic stone monuments to industrialism, Oats Royd must have been an awesome achievement.

We all pretty much know the sad story of our local textile industry's decline. One by one the chimneys that towered over the hub of the British Empire's woollen trade began to disappear. Those that remained laid mostly derelict for years.

The mammoth Oats Royd Mill survived - but it will now be transformed into amazing apartment homes, brimming with 21st century technology and architect - designer style. Each of the 40 apartments will offer luxurious living spaces and their location in the breathtaking Luddenden Valley is simply stunning.

But what would John Murgatroyd have to say about it all?

We think he'd be impressed. We also hope that he'd recognise the regeneration of a rural area fit with the social and financial trends of its larger, present-day community. He'd probably want to know why his looms had gone quiet, but he'd be suited to think we'd kept his chimney.