Elsie Whiteley Building

The Elsie Whiteley Mill, or as the foundation stones at the gable end read .. West Grove Mill 1867, once home to Halifax’s pioneering fashion designer and textile entrepreneur Elsie Whiteley; the ?4m investment in The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre – commemorates Halifax’s thriving creative past as a leading industrial textile huband also makrs the region’s future as a unique base for digital and new media companies to develop their business.

Rear of Elsie Whiteley Mill

Elsie Whiteley was born in 1903 began work at a local mill at the age of 12 whilst still at school. Elsie Whiteley’s hands-on training as a machinist equipped her with the core skills that would form the foundation of her fashion empire.  A combination of passion for clothes design, an eye for making her own money and sheer determination lead her to start dressmaking from her sitting room at home in 1929, which soon grew into a busy factory and saw the opening of her first shop on Athol Mount (1930) – and ten year’s later on Keighley Road, Ovenden. 

Elsie Whiteley Building

In 1959 she brought her two sons on board to join her in managing the business and continued to adapt to the changing labour market, industry climate and fashion trends.  Only in 1994 was the mill finally closed due to the number of textile manufacturing bases moving abroad.   Elsie Whitely never retired – always taking garment alterations home until the day she died in 1972.

Elsie Whiteley Building

Barbara Harbinson, Chief Executive of Halifax Opportunities Trust, has been quoted as saying:

“This ambitious project is a major step forward in showing what Halifax has to offer in terms of providing a thriving, creative base for enabling new, hi-tech companies to develop.  The advanced facilities and support available at The Elsie Whitely Innovation Centre has been carefully designed to cater for futuristic businesses within the digital industry as we too look to build on Calderdale’s economic future – attracting companies from both inside and outside of the region.”

Elsie Whiteley Building (aka West Grove Mill)

source: http://www.digitalyorkshire.org.uk/news_1495.htm