Today, Sunny Dale is a place of solitude and a haven for wildlife. However, this cannot be said of the past 200 years or so. At the end of the 1700’s the industrial revolution arrived in Morton. Mills and factories were built along Morton Beck where the ready supply of water was used to power the water wheels and steam engines.
Along the upper reaches of Morton Beck three mills were built. Sunny Dale Mill was located at the head of the Dale, just below the reservoir. Here paper was produced for banknotes and stationery. Further downstream just below Morton Dam, Upper Mill was built as a cotton spinning mill. Near the bottom of the Dale was Botany Mill, the largest woolen mill in the area.
Workers for the mills came from all over Britain. Mill cottages were built to house them and these can still be seen today at Providence Row and Upper Mill Row. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the mills. These have all but gone, though the remains of the engine house at Sunny Dale Mill can still be seen hidden amongst the vegetation.
The Morton Village Society have produced a very informative paperback book full of fascinating facts and photographs of East Morton and Sunny Dale, titled “East Morton, a Thousand Years of History”.
Continue down the lane