Shore Mill

The earliest reference to Shore Mill appears in a deed dated July 1782, which records its construction on land owned by the Whitehead family of Delph. Initially known as a 'willey mill', it was used for teasing raw wool prior to carding. In 1784 Joseph Lawton and Thomas Buckley acquired a partial ownership stake in the mill. Cotton spinning may have begun at Shore Mill around this time, although it is not mentioned in Buckley's will of 1785.^[1]

The first confirmed reference to cotton production dates to 1788, when a deed described the "Shore Engine" as "a cotton mill or engine" occupied by James and John Buckley, who also operated Gatehead Mill. By 1802 the mill was worked by James Lawton and Robert Mellor, still as a cotton mill, and later deeds from 1807 and 1809 list Mellor as the occupier.^[1] By 1815 Edmund Buckley, a cotton spinner also active in the woollen industry at Rasping and Lumb Mills, was in occupation. He remained there until 1835, after which the mill returned to wool processing, functioning as a scribbling mill under Robert Hastings.^[1] It was closely linked to nearby mills such as Rasping Mill, sharing water resources from the River Tame.

After its industrial use, the building was converted into residential accommodation.^[2]

On 3 July 1986, Shore Mill was designated a Grade II* listed building.^[3]