Plaque 2

William Brear

Awarded a Blue Plaque in 2016

With the help of his father Timothy, William took the lease on the water mill formerly run as a cotton mill by Anthony Fentiman in about 1854.

The Addingham Sawmill was established six years later in the name of William and produced a wide range of domestic, commercial and farmhouse furniture as well as agricultural products and sawn timber. Among their children, William and his wife Adeline had six sons, all of whom worked at the mill at some time, and the business remained in the family until it closed in 2000.

William Brear was a founder member of the Addingham Parish Council in 1894 and members of the Brear family served on the council over a period of 100 years.

Addingham Sawmill circa 1900