‘We are saving a piece of living history' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

‘We are saving a piece of living history'

1:15pm Saturday 4th July 2009

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Walking into mill caretaker Jack Croft’s old office is like stepping into a time warp.

His former bolt-hole at Dalton Mill in Keighley, where he has worked for 25 years, is a microcosm of the 137-year-old building’s life.

The pulleys, mechanical saw, grinder, lathe, pillar drill, nuts and bolts, scales and other paraphernalia of the mechanic’s shop reflect the textile mill’s function since it was built in 1872.

Jack, 66, has worked there since 1982 – a time which has seen the building’s decline as one of the biggest employers in town – and its revival over the last few years as a base for new 21st-century businesses.

He no longer uses the old room but he wants to preserve some of that precious history so people can see how it was in the old times, especially the ancient equipment in the mechanic’s shop where he worked alongside the last mill mechanic, John Northroppe, who held down the job for 40 years.

“We’ve already had our first group in from Parkwood School, Keighley, to see the place. They were fascinated,” said Jack of Bracken Bank Avenue, Keighley.

The owners of the listed building, Magna Holdings, wanted to preserve the room as it is and set up a small museum.

Digby Lovell, Magna Holdings’ development director, said the old items in the room were rare and the aim was to preserve them as part of Keighley’s heritage.

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