Slaithwaite artist mourns the loss of the abandoned mill which was her creative inspiration

AN artist has spoken of her shock after her creative inspiration was torched by arsonists.

Clough Road Mills in Slaithwaite was torn down following a huge blaze last month.

Sylvia Gibbs, who has lived opposite the four-storey building for 30 years, used old scraps of cloth from the mill to create pieces of art.

Yesterday the 63-year-old spoke of her shock when she saw the flames on February 24.

She said: “I was returning from town at about 10.30pm. I turned the corner and was horrified to see the blaze.

“It was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

“I felt very sad when the mill burnt down. It was a great shock and the distinctive character of Crimble has now gone.”

Sylvia used scraps of cloth to create pieces of art after the Schofield and Smith mill closed in 2008.

“The mill was internationally famous for the production of superfine worsted – a woven cloth noted for its smoothness,” said the retired University of Huddersfield employee.

“It was technically more difficult to produce than woollen cloth, but also more highly desirable in the luxury clothing market.

“In the 70s and 80s the mill produced 250,000 metres per year. It had offices in Argentina and Milan. At the turn of the century it was exporting to the Far East, Middle East and Europe.

“I could hear the looms from my garden. Neighbours still worked there.

“At its closure loyal workers were made redundant and the last remnants of cloth were brushed from the floor and thrown into a skip.

“The demolition man let me take away two black bin liners full of the final remnants swept from the floor.

“Those discarded small scraps of cloth became my art materials. They have been made into something new.

“I have tried to celebrate the subtle beauty of the patterns and colours of the cloth and to pay homage to the skill that went into their production.

“I haven’t attempted to copy those skills but just to leave them be and add my own references to redundancy and regeneration, landscapes and geology, loss and hope.”

Sylvia is an amateur artist, whose work was shown at Colne Valley Museum last month. She was also nominated for the Huddersfield Arts Society Hamer Prize in June 2011.