Sir John Holden's Mill. Astley Bridge.

An ambitious project to have comprised eight blocks arranged in pairs, the first two linked by the company’s offices on Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge. Poor ground conditions led to unexpectedly high costs for the foundations and this together with the onset of the slump, led to the abandonment of the scheme after the construction of the first mill and offices. Of six storeys, 315 feet by 129 feet. Technically advanced with steel framed construction with concrete floors. The use of rolled steel joists as lintels allowed the insertion of large windows. However, the external appearance still owed much to Edwardian Neo-Classical detailing with the widespread use of terra cotta and a copper-domed tower. As with most mills, the basement served as a conditioning room, where the regulated flow of water through brick channels controlled the level of humidity in the spinning rooms, the finer the yarn, the warmer the mill needed to be. The ground floor was the warehouse, the first floor a carding room with the upper floors containing the spinning machinery. Although under the attention of J.B. Gass, it would appear that William Scott was responsible for the basic mill structure and A.J. Hope for the elevational treatment. The mill was unusual in having no chimney and was possibly the first to take its entire power and heating supplies from a local power station.

Reference    The Empire Mail June 1927 Page 493-4.
Reference    The Book of Bolton 1929 Page 16