MILLS have dominated the landscape of Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon for many generations - creating employment for some and vast fortunes for others.

These photographs from the online archive of Aireborough Historical Society show some of the people who made their money from textiles. We can also see two of the impressive buildings which were so important in the lives of local people.

One of the best known of the mill owners was William Murgatroyd, known to Yeadon people as “Billy Murg”. He was a hard taskmaster and had a reputation for being firm but fair.

He was also known for his strong Yorkshire accent. On one occasion in London when he was asked how he liked to be addressed he is reputed to have said: “When I’m in London I’m called Sir, in Bradford it’s Mr Murgatroyd but back home in’t mill it’s tow’d bugger’s back agin.”

His property, Moorfield woollen mill, was built in 1877and covered a large area at the corner of Victoria Avenue and the High Street, stretching as far as to Yeadon Cricket Pitch and the White Swan.

The mill was eventually demolished and a trading estate was built on the site. Today William Murgatroyd is remembered in the name of the fish and chip restaurant which stands on the corner of the site and which takes its name from him.

Victorian benefactor and mill owner Jonathan Peate lived a long and comfortable life with all the trappings of wealth and status.

But his affluence in later life was in stark contrast to his humble beginnings.

Born in 1837 to parents who were far from wealthy, he was already working at the age of eight - selling bread door to door and later working on the construction of Bramhope Tunnel.

He found employment in the textile trade and became a mill manager after educating himself using the facilities of the Mechanics Institute.

In 1868 he built Nunroyd Mill in partnership with his brothers Joseph and Caleb. The mill was demolished in 1987 and is now the site for West Side Retail Park.

Peate, who lived with his family at Nunroyd House, became a JP in 1890 and was a generous benefactor in the local area.

He gave the land for Kirk Lane Park in Yeadon and there was a huge turn out for its official opening in 1907. In 1919 he handed over the deeds for Nethermoor Park to the Chairman of Guiseley UDC.

He died in 1924 aged 87and is buried in Yeadon Cemetery, where a Celtic cross marks his grave.

The Denison Family feature in two photographs.

The family connection with mills stretched back to in 1810 when Thomas Denison built Henshaw Mill. He died just four years later and the family fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse when one of his four sons mortgaged the mill and disappeared to Australia with the money. The mill had to be sold to pay off the debts.

Although no longer mill owners, the family connection with the industry continued through William Thomas Denison (known as Thomas) who was born in 1842.

He became a textile worker and book-keeper at Nunroyd Mill. He lived at Sizer Hill House, Henshaw Lane, along with his wife Martha and their children, several of whom become local school teachers.

Thomas can be seen with his family in an undated photograph. His eldest daughter Grace is also pictured on an expedition to the Alps in the early 1900s.