‘Shuttles, Steam and Soot’ exhibition at Bancroft Mill Engine Museum in Barnoldswick
Television producers are hoping to reunite former mill workers and their descendants half a century after it closed.
Barnoldswick’s Bancroft Mill Engine Museum is reaching out to relatives of the mill’s former workers for an evocative feature marking the return of an exhibition of historic photographs.
The exhibition, showing the life of the mill and the people who worked there, is returning after nearly 50 years. The event is being recorded for a national TV feature and organisers are hoping to reunite descendants and friends of those who worked there to take part in the event.
The images are by Daniel Meadows, who was at the time Pendle Borough’s Photographer in Residence and has since exhibited extensively around the UK and Europe.
At the opening of the exhibition, he will be reunited with local historian Stanley Graham, who was the mill’s last engineer before it ceased production in 1978. The two will be joined by a BBC TV crew who are aiming to follow on from a feature originally aired in February 2025.
BBC Breakfast TV senior broadcast journalist Jayne McCubbin said: “We're so excited to produce a film about the history of the mill and the characters who worked there, who were so vividly brought to life in Daniel's photography.
“One of the greatest has to be Stanley, who Daniel called Lancashire’s King of Steam! The first time we interviewed Daniel and Stanley they were 250 miles apart, so seeing them reunited in Bancroft for the 50th anniversary of these amazing photographs, will be something very special.”
She added: “We'd love to hear from anyone else who is directly featured in or related to someone in Daniel's photos as there are so many fascinating stories which we’d love to film and share for BBC Breakfast.”
The exhibition, ‘Shuttles, Steam and Soot’, will be at Bancroft Mill Engine Museum from September 5th to October 31st, open every Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm, as well as Steaming Sundays – September 6th and 27th and October 18th. The exhibition is free, including seeing the static engines, except on the steaming days where there is the usual entrance fee.
Daniel, Stanley and Jayne will be at the mill at the launch of the exhibition’s run, on Saturday, September 5, starting at11am.More details on Bancroft Mill Engine Museum
Bancroft Mill Engine Museum is a charity maintained entirely by volunteers. Apart from some grant aid from various bodies, including Pendle Borough Council and Barnoldswick Town Council, it is largely funded by the public Steaming Days when visitors can see the engine working under full power along with many other working exhibits.