EPW041286 ENGLAND (1933). Crawley Blanket Mill, Crawley, 1933

Crawley Mill on the River Windrush was part of the Witney area's former blanket-making industry. It has a mill stream and was originally water-powered but was later converted to steam power. It is now an industrial estate.



Crawley Mill is where the blankets used to be washed, died and had the pile raised on them before shipping back to the main factory in Witney for finishing and wrapping.



Tenterers racked their lengths of damp blanket cloth out to dry and stretch on the tent frames –stockfulls - and would have to run out if rain threatened, so living their lives on-tenterhooks. The valley of the Windrush was decorated with rows and rows of Blanket tentering over generations.



The oldest part of the mill that straddles the river is grade 2 listed. The rest of the mill estate comprises several buildings that are now mainly workshops and storage. In addition, there are several outside fenced yards that is mostly used for outside storage although a stonemason occupies one of them.