The mills are said to the most original and best-preserved examples of both cotton spinning and woollen fulling left in the country that are still operational.

Following the withdrawal of its grant from Lancashire County Council, the museum closed to the public on 30 September 2016 for an indefinite period.

[5] It was the son of one of these original six, a William Turner (1793–1852), who built the larger wool carding and spinning mill in the 1820s.

[1] When Rossall Whittaker died in 1971 leaving no male heirs, Higher Mill was saved by local enthusiasts who recognised its significance and had it scheduled as an Ancient monument, and bought it through a trust.

Platt International, whose site was also in Helmshore, owned a significant collection of historic textile machines and agreed that they should be located in Higher Mill.

The task of running a museum and maintaining the buildings put pressure on the trust, so in 1975 Lancashire County Council stepped in, taking a 99-year lease.

This allowed them to also purchase the Platt collection in 1985, keeping the site intact and forming a comprehensive museum of the Lancashire textile industry.

There is a tenter frame, with the tenterhooks to show how the cloth was dried without shrinking and how teasels were used to lift up the nap.

Sharing the floor at Whitaker's Mill is the equipment needed to prepare the waste cotton for the cards in the room above.

Spun yarn is sent to sister museum Queen Street Mill on the outskirts of Burnley to be woven.

As of 3 June 2017[update] Lancashire County Council's website stated that "Negotiations are underway to identify a new operator.

"[3] Re-Opening In April 2018 it was announced the museum would reopen on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 12:00 - 16:00 during the summer season from the end of March until early November each year.

The whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument; Higher Mill is also a Grade II listed building.

It came in three forms: loose staple, unspun rovings and spun thread (hard waste) that had been pirned but rejected.

This was captured from field drainage on the hillside opposite and stored in a lodge on the farther side of the river, piped across when required.