KEIGHLEY'S biggest surviving textile mill has a brighter future ahead of it despite still being on Historic England's "At Risk" register.

Historic England has confirmed it has approved an £88,000 grant to progress much-needed refurbishment work on Dalton Mills, in Dalton Lane.

And an even larger grant from the same organisation has been announced for Silsden's Waterloo Mill Engine House. This is receiving £130,000 to support repair work.

The grant for Dalton Mills will comprise half of the money soon to be spent on fixing the structure of the central part of Genappe Mill, which fronts onto Dalton Lane, and also on renovating the grade II* listed property's water tower.

Laura Bacon, marketing manager for the company which owns the mill complex, Bellissimo, welcomed the funding.

She said: "It is really important that we get the central part of Genappe Mill fixed, as we can't get more commercial tenants until we've got this part of the building sorted out.

"Work should start next month and will take 12 to 16 weeks, weather permitting."

Craig McHugh, of Historic England's Heritage at Risk Team, visited Dalton Mills earlier today. (Oct 20)

He said preserving textile mills is a key priority for his organisation, adding: "There are over 1,000 mills which are underused or vacant in West Yorkshire.

"These buildings have tremendous potential and there is a lot to be gained from restoring them.

"If we're not bringing such old buildings back into use then we're instead developing on green field sites, which is never popular."

Mr McHugh said the quality and architectural significance of Dalton Mills compares well with Salts Mill in Saltaire and Lister Mills in Manningham.

"It is one of the best examples of a textile mill in our region," he added.

"The owners have already spent a considerable sum on the building and I take my hat off to them.

"It is a major challenge but the Tower part of the mill is fully let and while repairs have been ongoing in other parts of the building they've managed to find ways to keep those areas in use and attract some income.

"It's good to seem them animating the building through hosting events or using it for filming, as properties left empty for too long are vulnerable to vandalism or problems such as leaking pipes.

"Dalton Mills is still on the At Risk register, as we do need to see the main repairs completed and to get back to a position of permanent occupation of the mill."

Dalton Mills was once the largest textile mill in the region, employing over 2,000 workers. It was built by Joseph Craven in 1869.

Silsden's Waterloo Mill Engine House is also a Grade II* listed building.

It was constructed in the 1860s, but a new engine house was added in 1916 to accommodate a Scott & Hodgson steam engine, which last powered the looms in 1977.

Most of these engines were sold for scrap when they became redundant, but the original device still survives at this mill.