Historic mill to host ghost tours after takeover

The new owners of a Grade II-listed mill in Leeds want to tap into the historic site's paranormal potential.

Thwaite Mill, located on the Aire and Calder Navigation near Hunslet, dates back to 1641.

It has not been used for industrial purposes since 1975, but was leased from the Canal & River Trust by Leeds City Council, who ran it as a museum until closure in 2024.

New tenants Jenny Bryant and Chris Foster have now taken out a 10-year lease and hope to use the historic buildings for ghost-hunting events.

The Leeds landmark had been due to go under the hammer at auction last month, just four months after the building was purchased by a new owner, developers Odsal Properties.

Bryant and Foster instead agreed their lease with Odsal and the mill was withdrawn from sale.

"Places like this need to be kept for the public to enjoy," said Bryant.

"I don't think I could walk around it on my own and I definitely couldn't stay in the (mill manager's) house on my own," the 50-year-old admitted.

"As soon as it gets dark it does take on a whole new feel. You do feel like you are being watched."

Bryant - who runs an existing businesses providing ghost tours at locations around the country - said she had already encountered some unexplained events since taking on the lease last week.

They included hearing footsteps, doors opening and closing without explanation and lights coming on after they have been switched off.

Discussing the site's paranormal origins, she said: "There would have been deaths there during the many years of it being a working mill.

"Whether it's people that have just loved the place or are stuck here, you don't know. That's what we have got to find out."

On the possibility of ghosts being real, she added: "I don't suppose we will ever know until we pass over to the other realm."

As well as ghost tours, which could begin as early as September, she also hopes to reopoen Thwaite Mill as a museum and wedding venue, and host other events on the 19-acre site, including craft markets.

"It's got a good future, all while preserving the heritage," she said.

The new operators have launched a fundraising campaign to help achieve their ambitions for the venue, with grant applications also in the pipeline.

The 19-acre site on the River Aire near Stourton includes six Grade II-listed buildings - two water wheels, a manager's house, stables, workshop and warehouses.

The buildings date back to the 1820s, when they produced dye for the fabric trade, although there was a mill on the site in the 17th Century.

After the nearby weir burst in 1975, the mill fell into disuse until it was restored by a charity. The weir was rebuilt and the museum opened in 1990.

The site was recently used as a filming location for the TV adaptation of the 1979 novel A Woman of Substance.

As owners, Odsal Properties are also required to maintain the access road and bridge as well as canal moorings on the neighbouring Aire and Calder Navigation.

Bryant added: "We really do need support and funding, whether it's items or donating anything. Even a pound will help."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.