Floor space in the mill amounts to 27 acres (11 ha), and its imposing shape remains a dominant feature of the Bradford skyline.

Water was also vital in the process and the company had its own supply network including a large covered reservoir on-site (by 2006 that area had become a piazza and underground car park).

At its height, Lister's employed 11,000 men, women and children – manufacturing high-quality textiles such as velvet and silk.

In 2000, property regeneration company Urban Splash bought Lister Mills from the administrators, Ernst and Young, with plans to renovate the silk warehouse.

[5][6] The second phase was the regeneration of the largest building on the site, the velvet mill, by replacing the existing roof of the building with a glass and steel structure, housing two storey apartments and creating additional ground floor commercial spaces, whilst preserving original architectural features under the design of David Morley Architects.