Lerry Mills produced Tweed for suit making using both water wheels from the river and workers to power the looms and spinning machinery. The mills were built on the site of an old furnace which smelted the lead from local lead mines, records date this back to 1642. The mill itself stopped meaningful production around 1958-60 when the UK became a net cotton importer and the general demise of the industry put paid to over 800 mills. At this time the two mills were purchased by Mr J Hughes and he ran the mills with his wife untill the end of 1980 as a popular tourist attraction. In the August of 1981 they put the whole site, including a 6 bedroom house, the two tweed mills, a craft shop and 14 acres of land around the river bank with shooting & fishing rights, up for sale. The site appears never to have been sold and has gradually fallen into decay since that time.
