Lymefield & Broad Mills Heritage Site

Situated peacefully in the picturesque countryside of the Etherow Valley, two minutes walk from Lower Market Street in Broadbottom and just past the Community Garden you will find Lymefield and Broad Mills Heritage Sites.

Broad Mills Heritage Site was the location of textile mill buildings built and developed from 1802 and by 1824 included three large cotton spinning mills. The mills closed in 1860 because of the ‘Cotton Famine’, re-opening in 1870 under different ownership for textile production and closing again in the late 1920’s during the depression; after which part of the mills were used as a Saw Mill and carpet factory. In 1949 fire damage resulted in the demolition of the greater part of the mill complex.Bordering the Centre is Broad Mills Heritage Site which was the location of textile mill buildings built and developed from 1802 and by 1824 included three large cotton spinning mills. The mills closed in 1860 because of the ‘Cotton Famine’, re-opening in 1870 under different ownership for textile production and closing again in the late 1920’s during the depression; after which part of the mills were used as a Saw Mill and carpet factory. In 1949 fire damage resulted in the demolition of the greater part of the mill complex.

The area became a post industrial wasteland until, due to the availability of grant funding and their commitment to environmental responsibility Tameside Council purchased the site in 1980 and started conservation works. The area has since been transformed and now combines managed woodland countryside with its industrial heritage. Where once were weaving sheds, wildflowers bloom and attract butterflies, a large variety of insects, bees and grasshoppers. Trees have taken over the sites of the mills, the woodlands now home to birds such as woodpeckers, great tits and chaffinches.

The River Etherow, which runs adjacent the site previously provided power to the mill buildings and was used for discharging waste, is now a quiet haven for wildlife.

With a mixture of fast flowing sections and calmer pools it is an important habitat for a variety of insects, fish and birds. Alongside this you can see the pond, parts of the waterwheel structure, water channels and arches which provided power to the mills. Throughout the site there are other remnants of the mill structures all explained by annotated notice boards sited along the paths, explaining about the heritage and wildlife of the site.

The wasteland that Broad Mills (formerly Broadbottom Mills) became has been sympathetically transformed, where heritage and countryside live side by side in tranquil harmony.

The Lymefield site have been awarded and retained the Green Flag Award, an annually judged certificate for the management, maintenance and upkeep of sites and the involvement of users and the community in their management.  

Community participation is particularly strong with many volunteers giving their time to the running of the site.

Volunteers regularly take part in conservation days where they manage invasive alien species, litter pick, strim and carry out all manner of works to help maintain the sustainability of the site. Their work is vital and much appreciated. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please telephone 0161 342 3055.

To check which events are taking place in the borough’s Greenspaces please click here.