A History

It was the Ferguson family who first brought cutting-edge business to the picturesque Cumbrian village of Warwick Bridge.
Back in 1791 that meant heavy industry, in the guise of a textile mill built to harness the power of fast-flowing Cairn Beck, a tributary of the River Eden.
Revolutionary in its design and innovation, the three-storey mill with its warehouses and dye plants was a world away from the traditional farming industry which had occupied this part of north Cumbria for centuries.
It brought jobs and it brought prosperity. The mill became the focal point of an entire community, with housing, schools and even a church for its employees. It drew in workers from across the Carlisle area.
And, over the next 200 years, successive owners ensured that progress would not pass it by.
As the industrial revolution swept through the 19th century, Warwick Mill developed and expanded. Steam engines replaced the old system of banks and weirs to power the looms day and night. A vast complex of dyeing and bleaching houses were built to handle the thousands of tonnes of textiles which passed through it every day. In 1832, the grand sum of £72 was invested in the 'Danforth Throstle', the most modern spinning machine of the day!
In 1890 the mill was acquired by William Waddell, who manufactured woollen goods from wool spun at the mill under the famous 'Otterburn' label. In 1963, William's great-great-grandson Vincent was chairman of the company when it won the prestigious Gold Award for 'anticipating texture, colour and design trends in tweeds of distinctive character and constant excellence.'
One thing Warwick Mill was not immune to, however, was global recession - and in 1977 dwindling export markets and a slump in the demand for high-quality tweed at home meant that the Waddell family had little option but to close down the textile operation which had run virtually without interruption on the site for nearly two centuries.
But if this was the end of an era, it was not the end of Warwick Mill.