Wheel of Fortune

As the water wheel turns, mill workers produce woollen cloth in the traditional, time-honoured way.

This grainy, atmospheric film shows workers at the water powered woollen mill of L.W. Whittaker Fullers and Finishers Ltd., in Helmshore in Lancashire. In this picturesque setting, they use traditional methods to process cloth - fulling (cleaning and thickening it using water) and finishing. Only the coffee mugs, and the mini van parked in the yard reveal that this is the 20th century.