by Emma Clayton

LIKE other large, sprawling mill complexes in Bradford, Drummond Mill played a major role in the city's industrial heritage.

And to the thousands of people who walked through its mighty iron gates every day, it was part of their working lives.

Drummond Mill was one of the region's largest employers and a pioneer of worsted coating. Generations of families were employed there, and people from around the world settled in Bradford to work there.

Last Thursday more than 150 years of Bradford's history went up in smoke when the Manningham mill was destroyed by the huge fire that raged for 24 hours, leaving clouds of smoke hanging over the city all weekend.

At its height around 125 firefighters from across the region were dealing with the incident. Demolition work began on Friday and continued over the weekend. Surrounding Lumb Lane was closed and local residents and businesses were evacuated.

Staff from Bradford-based Thomas Crompton Demolition spent several days, and nights, at the site bringing down what remains of the Grade II-listed mill. Mr Crompton told the Telegraph & Argus of his dismay at having to demolish a once splendid example of Victorian architecture, once a leading part of Bradford's industrial empire. "It's a sad day," he said. "It was a functional and working building. I don't get any pleasure pulling these buildings down."

Businesses and arts and community organisations which rented units at the mill site have been left devastated, and the many Bradford people who worked at the mill, which closed in 2001, will have felt a huge sadness at its loss.

These photographs by local historian and photographer Mark Davis show the mill in its early days and glory years, while images from the T&A archive show it in its later years.

Built in 1861, to a Lockwood and Mawson design, Drummond Mill was founded by James Drummond, who had started out in textiles in the 1930s as an apprentice to Messrs Lister, Spencer and Co. The mill was built on a ten-acre site on Lumb Lane and the original plan was to build cottages for mill workers, as Sir Titus Salt did in Saltaire.

Described as a pioneer of Bradford's worsted coating trade, the mill complex included, as well as main structure and landmark tower, one of the district's biggest weaving sheds, accommodating hundreds of looms, the old engine house, boiler house and warehouse.

A new mill building opened in 1869, standing at a right angle to the old mill. The outer walls were made of Yorkshire stone, with an inner lining of fireproof bricks which, alas, did not stand the test of time. A new engine house constructed at the same time housed one of the largest beam engines in the district, of 1,200 indicated horse power.

In the early 20th century the mill was acquired by businessmen Solomon Selka and Berthold Reif who saw it through the Great Depression, and in the 1940s it was taken on by business partners Ossie Stroud and James Riley.

After the war, when people came from overseas to find work in Bradford's mills, Drummond Mill employed immigrants from mainly Eastern European, Ireland, Italy and Pakistan.

Despite the city's textile industry facing pressure from foreign competition, leading to mill closures in the 1980s, Drummond Mill was awarded the Queen's Award for Export in 1984. In 1990 it was announced that the company had expanded its empire with the £500,000 takeover of John Crowther and Sons in Huddersfield.

The Drummond Group produced the fabric for British team uniforms at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. The same year it announced a partnership with a worsted manufacturer in Iran. In June 1999, Drummond announced a £1m profit.

In August 1999, Drummond Group invested £2m in 21 new high-speed looms and state-of-the-art finishing equipment.

It finally closed in 2001. Current owners SKA Textiles have had the site for the past 16 years.