Future secured for 'iconic' mill chimney

An ‘iconic’ part of the Tameside skyline will have a facelift after officials approved plans for its repair.

The chimney and unusual octagonal stair turret of Cavendish Mill in Ashton will undergo renovation after inspections found parts of it to be ‘defective’. 

Restoration teams will remove vegetation growing from the chimney, relay and repoint loose or missing brickwork, repair stone banding and mouldings, as well as fix any issues with concrete and timber on the structure. 

Built between 1884-85 for the Cavendish Spinning Company, the Grade-II* listed red brick mill stopped cotton production in 1934 and became a focal point of the Portland Basin regeneration scheme when developers converted most of it to apartments in the 1990s. 

It is also the home of the Tameside Reporter and Tameside Radio. 

“Tameside's remaining late 18th and 19th century mill complexes are an important part of the borough's industrial history and legacy, and their residual chimneystacks continue to be iconic features within the townscape,” said Tameside Council’s Director of Place Julian Jackson in his report. 

“Although capped and no longer in use, the circular chimneystack at Cavendish Mill adds to the significance of this Grade II* listed building and makes a positive contribution to the visual interest within Portland Basin Conservation Area.” 

A Design and Heritage Impact Assessment of the building said: “The former mill chimney stack and the surrounding octagonal stair turret require some essential repairs to be undertaken to make it safe and weather tight as it has been found that some of the brickwork, stonework, pointing and concert on the structure is defective.” 

There have also been concerns about masonry falling from the chimney, as well as water seeping through gaps in the brickwork and masonry. 

The architects behind Cavendish Mill, Oldham-based Potts, Pickup & Dixon, designed around 200 mills, with Edward Potts regarded as one of the greats of Victorian industrial architecture.