The Mill Cullingworth

Michael Palmer
1 day ago
4 min read

The Mill Cullingworth – Coffee, Sandwiches and a Proper Yorkshire Mill

There are two things almost guaranteed to make us stop while exploring Yorkshire: an old mill and somewhere serving coffee. At Cullingworth Mills, happily, you get both.

Lyn and I had been looking around Cullingworth Mills, exploring the antiques, vintage furniture and all the unusual things tucked away inside the old building. Afterwards, we called into The Mill Cullingworth for a coffee and a sandwich.

I love a mill.

The Mill Cullingworth is an independent café within the Cullingworth Mills complex on Greenside Lane. It makes a convenient stop whether you are visiting the mill, walking around the surrounding countryside or simply looking for somewhere local for breakfast, lunch or coffee.

The Mill Cullingworth at a Glance

Business: The Mill Cullingworth

Location: Cullingworth, West Yorkshire

Address: Cullingworth Mills, Greenside Lane, Cullingworth, Bradford, BD13 5AB

Type: Independent café, tearoom, bar and bistro

Food and drink: All-day breakfasts, sandwiches, lunches, coffee, homemade scones and sweet treats

Our visit: Coffee and a sandwich after exploring Cullingworth Mills

Parking: Free parking within the Cullingworth Mills complex

Telephone: 01274 050531

Email: TheMillCullingworth@outlook.com

Latest information: The Mill Cullingworth on Facebook and The Mill Cullingworth on Instagram

Our Visit to The Mill Cullingworth

We called into the café after spending some time wandering around Cullingworth Mills.

The mill is the sort of place where you can easily lose track of time. One room leads into another, with antiques, furniture, collectables, salvage and all kinds of objects that make you stop for a closer look.

By the time we had finished exploring, a coffee and a sandwich sounded like a very good idea.

The café worked perfectly as part of the visit. We could sit down, have something to eat and talk about the things we had seen around the mill. It turned what could have been a quick browse into a proper Yorkshire outing.

That is often what makes an independent café particularly useful. It isn’t simply somewhere to buy a drink. It becomes part of the day and gives you a reason to stay a little longer.

Food and Drink at The Mill

The Mill promotes a selection of all-day breakfasts, sandwiches, lunches, seasonal coffees, homemade scones and sweet treats.

We had coffee and a sandwich during our visit, so that is what we can personally comment on. We are not going to pretend that we worked our way through the entire menu, tempting though that might have been.

Menus, prices and opening times can change, so we recommend checking the café’s Facebook page or Instagram account for the latest information before making a special journey.

A Café Inside a Piece of Yorkshire History

The setting gives The Mill much of its character.

According to the official history of Cullingworth Mills, the site dates back to 1852 and became an important part of the local textile industry. At its height, the mill employed around 800 people.

The Townend family, who operated the mill, were involved in both textile manufacturing and local coal mining. Coal from nearby pits supplied gas works within the complex, which also provided gas for the village of Cullingworth.

A major fire destroyed the largest part of the mill in September 1973. Thankfully, some of the buildings survived and have since been brought back into use.

Today, the remaining mill is home to antiques dealers, vintage furniture, independent businesses and The Mill café. It is a good example of an old Yorkshire industrial building finding an entirely new purpose while retaining some of its original character.

You can read more about the building in our complete guide to Cullingworth Mills.

More Than Just a Coffee Stop

The Mill is somewhere you can visit in its own right, but it works particularly well as part of a day at Cullingworth Mills.

The wider complex brings together Antiques at the Mill, Vintage at the Mill, The Weaving Shed and other independent businesses. There are more than 100 dealers offering furniture, collectables, decorative pieces, salvage, handcrafted items and unusual finds.

You never quite know what you are going to come across.

Once you have finished looking around—or need a break before going back for another look—you can stop at the café for something to eat or drink.

There is also free parking within the complex, making it easy to spend a little time exploring without feeling rushed.

Combine the Café With a Yorkshire Walk

We originally discovered Cullingworth Mills while exploring the countryside around Harden and Cullingworth.

Our Harden Circular Walk is a 4.41-mile route taking in Goit Stock Wood, Harden Beck and Goit Stock Waterfall. We class it as a moderate walk because some of the woodland paths can be rocky, uneven and slippery.

The area is also close to Hewenden Viaduct and Hewenden Reservoir, providing more opportunities to explore this part of West Yorkshire.

A walk, a waterfall, an old mill, some antiques and a café is a fairly good Yorkshire day out as far as we are concerned.

Why We Are Featuring The Mill Cullingworth

The White Shire is about helping people discover genuine local places across Yorkshire.

The Mill Cullingworth fits perfectly. It is an independent café within an interesting historic building, surrounded by other small businesses and close to some lovely West Yorkshire countryside.

We visited it ourselves, stopped for coffee and a sandwich and enjoyed having it as part of our visit to the mill.

These are the businesses we want to include in our Yorkshire Business Directory: independent places that add something useful and enjoyable to a day spent exploring the county.