Lodge Mill in Middleton has been devastated after a raging fire
The mill’s owners, Martin Cove and Paula Hickey(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The owner of a mill destroyed in a fire after years of hard work and expense to transform it said today: “We will not give up.”
Martin Cove and Paula Hickey bought Lodge Mill in Middleton in 2019 – and have spent many thousands of pounds over the years to redevelop it. But now the mill, on Townley Street, has been left gutted by a blaze which broke out in the early hours of Sunday.
Several businesses were based on the ground floor, with devastated owners also speaking out today. They included a children’s dance studio, an ice cream parlour, a tea room, a dog chiropractor business and the Engine House event space, which held weddings, functions and parties and is run by Martin and Paula.
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The Manchester Evening News also understands a DJ and recording studio, which only recently opened within the mill, was also lost in the fire.
Speaking to the M.E.N. on Monday, Martin said demolition work would start on Tuesday. But thankfully, he said he believes the Engine House – a venue space with a licensed bar – has possibly avoided major damage.
The shell of the mill, pictured on Monday(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Martin said his project would continue – and thanked the people of Middleton for their support. He said he was ‘shell-shocked’ by the fire, but added: “We are down, but we are not out.”
Martin said: “The position at the moment seems to be that the Engine House has avoided fire damage from the mill, so we might be able to get that back up and running. But the mill itself – demolition is due to start tomorrow. They are going to take the top two storeys off, so it’s the same height as the Engine House and what is left of the back mill – the other part of the mill that burnt down years ago.
“Everyone is asking how I am. I am shell-shocked and devastated, but determined. This is not going to beat us. We have had too much support and help from the local community for this to beat us.
“The plan is to rebuild – get it down to two storeys then we will look at putting a roof on top of it.”
Demolition work is due to start on Tuesday(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Martin hit out at rumours and ‘nonsense’ being posted on social media. “It is not going to be a HMO,” he said. “We already had planning permission for 17 flats on the top storeys and for commercial units on the ground floor. We have not had a single mention of a possible cause as yet.
“No one is allowed in – and demolition starts tomorrow.”
‘We will not give up’
Martin said he was woken up by a friend telling him the news early on Sunday morning.
“A friend of ours saw it on Facebook and they phoned another friend who has a space in the mill,” he said. “She went down to check. She woke us up and told us that the mill was on fire. I vaulted out of bed and went down there.”
Martin said the project would continue for the community. “We are determined to carry on,” he said. “The help and support we have had over the last seven years has been immense. We will not give up. We are down but we are not out.
“There have been so many people who have helped us over the years – it would be wrong not to carry on.”
The event space at Lodge Mill before the fire(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Built in the mid-1800s, it was a silk weaving, cotton weaving and a cloth dying mill over the years and was believed to be Middleton’s oldest mill. The building fell into disrepair in the early-2000s and lay derelict until Martin and Paula bought the front mill in a bid to restore it.
The mill is across the road from the site of the former Storage World warehouse, which also burnt down in a fire last year.
In an update on Monday, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “Fire crews remain in attendance at Lodge Mill in Middleton today, Monday, where they have been tackling a blaze that began shortly before 6am on Sunday 29 March.
“The incident is now scaling down with crews continuing to dampen down hot spots. Road closures remain in place and residents are advised to avoid the area.”
A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Our building control team remain on site at Townley Street in Middleton, supporting the emergency services following a fire at Lodge Mill over the weekend. Road closures we have implemented around the site remain in place to ensure everybody’s safety while the onsite teams continue work to make the area safe.”