Regeneration of Phoenix Mill
It is excellent news that a grant of £625,000 has been awarded by Historic England for the regeneration of the Grade ll listed Phoenix Mill on Wakefield Waterfront. The money will be used to fund repairs to the building’s roof, drainage and walls, and provide new windows. This is Phase Two of the redevelopment of the Rutland Mills Complex. It will include the demolition of a second mill, and the construction of a new building in its place.
Phoenix Mill is the oldest mill building on the site having been erected by Richard Gill a corn miller in 1794. However, his business failed and three years later it was sold to Joseph Scott and William Bayldon.
By the 1850s the mill was owned by Joseph Horner, his sons Joseph Horner junior and John Jubb Horner. It was acquired by Isaac Briggs in 1876 by which time it was a paper and flock mill. It was renamed Gradient Mill and absorbed into his Rutland Mill complex.
An article by Lorraine Simpson about the history of the Waterfront mills can be found on our website: https://www.wakefieldhistoricalsociety.org.uk/projects/wakefield-waterfront/aspects-of-waterfront-history/