The Wind and the Water
- Mark Anthony
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Silent Spirits Beneath the Waves
In 1966, the Washburn Valley changed forever. The villages of Fewston and West End were flooded to create the reservoirs that now serve Leeds and Bradford. Beneath the still surface of the water lie the remains of West House Mill, once one of the largest textile mills in the district. This was a place where hundreds of local men, women, and children worked — and where the rhythm of machinery echoed across the valley for generations.
A Valley of Industry and Loss
The story of West House Mill is one of ambition and consequence. Built in the early 19th century, it stood at the heart of the Washburn Valley’s industrial growth, producing cotton and woollen goods that travelled far beyond Yorkshire. The mill’s size was immense — five storeys high, with vast spinning rooms, apprentices’ quarters, and a powerful watercourse running from Low Dam for nearly a kilometre.
When Fewston and Swinsty Reservoirs were constructed, most of the mill was demolished to form the new foundations and water channels. Today, only a few fragments remain near Blubberhouses Cricket Ground, silent witnesses to the lives once shaped here.
“Today just one fragment of the vast five-storey West House Mill remains on the edge of the old cricket pitch at Blubberhouses — a silent witness to industrial ambition, child labour, and eventual obliteration beneath the reservoirs.”
— Geograph
The Children of the Mill
At its height, West House Mill employed dozens of child apprentices brought north from London workhouses. They lived in High Apprentice House, Fewston — a stone dormitory built around 1800 to house them under strict conditions. Many were as young as nine.
High Apprentice House, Fewston — circa 1800, built to house children apprenticed from London workhouses at the former West House Mill.
These children’s stories — of endurance, friendship, and silence — are among those remembered in our forthcoming poetic short film, inspired by Christina Rossetti’s “Who Has Seen the Wind?”. The poem becomes a haunting refrain for the valley’s unseen voices:
“Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.”
A Personal Connection
Among those linked to West House Mill were members of my own family. My fourth great-grandmother, Mary Bolland, was descended from one of the families who part-owned and worked the mill during its years of operation. Their legacy, like so many others, was ultimately submerged beneath the waters of Fewston Reservoir — yet their presence endures in the records, maps, and quiet persistence of this landscape.
The history of the mill, as chronicled by local historians and the English Ancestors Blog, reveals a vivid portrait of Yorkshire’s early industrial life — its ambition, hardship, and the human cost of progress. Each generation leaves its mark, even when the earth and water reclaim it.
Fewston, Skaife Hall, and the Roots of Sweetheart
Fewston is also bound to the story of the Skaife family, whose ancestral home at Skaife Hall, Blubberhouses, stood not far from the mill. One descendant, Mary-Jane Skaife, became the inspiration for our film Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor — a historical drama exploring love, loss, and justice in 1858 Yorkshire.
The poetic short film, featuring a children’s choir performance of Rossetti’s verse, will serve as both a creative prelude and a legacy project, linking the valley’s real history to the emotional and cultural landscape of the main film. Together, they form a tribute to those who once lived and worked in the Washburn Valley — and to the silent spirits beneath the waves who continue to shape its story.
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Sweetheart: Angel of the Moor is currently in development with Nidd Films in collaboration with Teesside University.
📖 Read more about the project: niddfilms.com/sweetheart
Sources for this article are listed on the Citations & Sources page
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