Bridge Street Mill was made up of a range of different stone and brick buildings ti grew up gradually over time, the earliest mill building probably dating to the early 19th century. In 1899 the nine-bay façade, with its three Jacobean style gables, was built. screening the earlier buildings from Bridge Street and giving it a uniform appearance.

The complex was quite large, the Cotswold stone buildings that ran south-east from the street being about 280 feet long.

William Smith started production here, around 1866. Although sited very close to the river the mill never used water power as William Smith's policy from the start was to use steam. The boiler house and engine were sited near to the mill entrance, power being transmitted to different areas of the mill by means of shafting and belt drives. Steam power gave way to electricity in 1948.

Chiefly a spinning and weaving mill, producing up to 450,000 blankets a year towards the end of its working life, it finally closed in 1975. The part of the building fronting Bridge Street was converted into flats and offices in 2004. In February 2005 the long weaving sheds were demolished.