Unsafe Accrington mill chimney to be demolished
The remains of an unstable historic mill chimney in Lancashire are to be demolished, after English Heritage deemed them to pose a danger to the public.
The top section of the chimney at the fire-ravaged Rhyddings Mill in Accrington has been demolished in an attempt to make the rest of the structure more stable. That failed, however, and now English Heritage has given permission for demolition contractors to take down the rest of it.
Work is to get underway this week on the demolition, after the local authority, Hyndburn Council, said that the Grade II-listed building - which dates back to the height of the Industrial Revolution in 1846 - was in significant danger of collapsing.
Council leader Miles Parkinson said, "The building is so damaged that retaining it would probably require it to be rebuilt, which would be extremely costly."
The demolition contractors who carried out the initial work said that they had been forced to drop some bricks down inside the chimney, and this had put strain on the base of the structure. They said that it was also suffering weakening from the effects of the fire that had gutted the chimney and engine house, and had seen crucial supportive metal bands stolen.
