Photo Exhibition.... Coming Soon
throughout September and October
Wednesdays to Saturdays
Starts SATURDAY 5th September 11 am
Bancroft Mill
Engine Museum
See the largest working
Mill Steam Engine
in Lancashire
Our Next Steaming in 2026
Sunday September 6th
Doors open 11am
Bancroft Weaving Shed closed in 1978 and the main shed was demolished shortly after to make way for housing.
The engine and steam plant were saved by local enthusiasts.
Our aim as a museum is to maintain a link to the town’s cotton heritage, by preserving and demonstrating the engine and associated machinery.
We hold Steaming Days between March and November.
On Steaming Days, you can see the 600hp cross-compound engine in operation. Built by William Roberts and Sons of Nelson, Lancs, in 1920.
In the weaving area we have three looms, one of which we use to weave our souvenir tea-towels.
Also on display is a large collection of artefacts from the weaving industry which brought so much employment to the region.
We have the original Lancashire boiler – now used as our water supply – and a Cornish boiler, which we now use on Steaming Days.
In a separate building we have a Smith and Eastwood Tandem-Compound engine, known as the Bradley Engine. This ran Peter Green’s Mill in Cross Lane in Bradley, near Skipton, until 1978. The engine was moved to our site in pieces early this century and was rebuilt by the volunteers. It ran again for the first time on site in 2017, after taking ten years to reassemble and commission.
Read the story of Bancroft from the people who were there
The Author, Stanley Graham, was the last engineer at Bancroft before its closure…….”If you’ve ever wanted to know how a weaving shed worked and about the people in it, this is for you. All the information comes from the people who worked at Bancroft, straight from the horse’s mouth. Fully illustrated. Enjoy.”
Available to buy from the Publisher.
before seeing a demonstration of the weaving loom creating Bancroft Mill Tea Towels.
