Remains of Scotland Wood Flax Mill, Alwoodley, Leeds

Scotland Mill was originally a woollen mill, one of Leeds’ major industries. In 1788, John Marshall took it over and installed cotton spinning machinery hoping to adapt it to turn work flax into linen. Cotton machinery was being widely produced as a result of the cheap cotton being imported from Britain as a result of the Empire and the triangular trade. However, Marshall wasn’t an engineer and couldn’t convert machinery until he was joined by a young Matthew Murray who was able to iron out the issues.

Scotland Mill became the first factory in the world to successfully use water power to spin flax. Marshall later took on the site that has become Marshall’s Mill in Holbeck, making it the biggest flax mill in Europe, whilst Murray engineered Middleton Railway. Flax (or linseed as its otherwise known) can be grown for its oil or its fibres which can be spun and woven into linen. Linen was the main fine cloth used across Europe until the early 1800s. This changed as cotton produced through the British Empire using enslaved labour became more cheaply available.

Only the ruins are left now of Scotland Mill. You can see the stone footprint of some of the buildings, including this overgrown arch of a tunnel or mill working probably linked to the water power.