THE loss of Dalton Mills in Keighley to a devastating fire will "leave a gap" in the Bradford district film industry.

The historical Keighley mill building, which was destroyed by fire yesterday, was a popular film location in recent years for Peaky Blinders, Gunpowder starring Kit Harrington, Limehouse Golem starring Bill Nighy and the Bollywood film Gold.

David Wilson, director of the Bradford UNESCO City of Film, said: "The loss of Dalton Mills will leave a gap for us as film production companies are constantly looking for space, particularly Netflix which is commissioning so many productions at the moment.

"Dalton Mills worked more or less as a blank canvas for film crews. A lot of the floors were empty, so it was good building sets for the jails such as used in Gunpowder.

"In Gunpowder as all the medieval dungeon scenes were filmed in the basement and the street scenes were filmed around the back.

"The beauty of Dalton Mills is that there is a huge space behind the mill's back lot where you can build a street set or add a facade.

"It was also good for keeping the dark mood for shows like Peaky Blinders.

"It's quite diverse in terms of a location," added Mr Wilson.

"Limehouse Golem was filmed in Dalton Mills but was recreated to look like Victorian London.

"The Bollywood film Gold, which was about India winning its first gold medal, was filmed in the cobble yard alongside the mill.

"We've been inundated with requests for filming in Yorkshire locations, not only for their appeal as a location but also in part for building sets.

"Bradford and Keighley has a good reputation for filming, and Dalton Mills has been a particularly good place to build sets.

"There's been a real demand for productions wanting to film across the UK, and the Bradford district has a piece of that.

"Shows like The Crown, which just filmed in Bradford, and The Witcher, filmed in Ilkley, have such a massive audience reach, and studios have been slowing coming back with Covid restrictions easing."