Mill workers’ lives showcased at gallery

Jan 5 2009 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AN EXHIBITION about the lives of former mill workers is to go on show at Huddersfield Art Gallery.

Folly Hall Mills Portraits – An Exhibition will go on show at the gallery on Princess Alexandra Walk on January 17 at 1pm.

Around 60 people will be attending the launch, including members of the Huddersfield Civic Society and the former mill workers.

The exhibition, by Northern Legacy Community Interest Company, will run until March 8.

It features photographs and a video sequence of the former workers at the Grade II-listed mill, which once produced the world’s top quality worsted cloth.

The mill, at Chapel Hill, was built in 1844 and closed in 1988.

The workers were invited back to the mill for the photo and video shoots. The exhibition video is to be sent out to schools around the region to teach pupils about Huddersfield’s industrial heritage.

It has been funded by Kirklees Council’s Arts in the Neighbourhood scheme and Dewsbury-based JayTee Group, which is currently developing the mill site into modern offices.