Designed by Abraham Stott, it was constructed in 1865 for Henry Houldsworth, a prominent mill owner at the time.

The mill was sold to a mail-order catalogue company, John Myers, and was used principally as a warehouse.

In the late 1960s, the building was expanded with a five-storey extension to the rear of the north end of the mill.

It was divided into separate business units, but most of the building remained vacant and it fell into a state of disrepair.

The chimney was octagonal, on a plinth with a highly embellished oversailer (bricks that project beyond those beneath them).