On the morning of Friday, August 18th, 1961, a fire broke out in Albert Mills building on Wellington Street situated next to Morley Town Hall. Strong winds helped to spread the fire which reached the Town Hall building. Despite the efforts of the fire brigade, the blaze could not be subdued before it completely destroyed the dome of the clock tower. This film documents the events of that day. Title - The Great Fire of Morley. August 18th. 1961. Filmed by D.G. Sutcliffe The film opens...

On the morning of Friday, August 18th, 1961, a fire broke out in Albert Mills building on Wellington Street situated next to Morley Town Hall. Strong winds helped to spread the fire which reached the Town Hall building. Despite the efforts of the fire brigade, the blaze could not be subdued before it completely destroyed the dome of the clock tower. This film documents the events of that day. Title - The Great Fire of Morley. August 18th. 1961. Filmed by D.G. Sutcliffe The film opens with scenes of the mills ablaze. Smoke is bellowing from the windows of the mill, and there are already fire engines which have arrived. Additionally, a group of spectators have gathered close by. The fire fighters are spraying water on the fire with large hoses from the engines. It appears to be a very windy day as some of the water blows away from the fire. The Town Hall clock tower can be seen through the smoke, and the fire has progressed to the point where there are massive flames coming out of the mill windows. There are a few shots of the surrounding streets and the different fire engines which have arrived. The fire has spread to the Town Hall building, and dome of the clock tower is engulfed in flame causing it to collapse. Some of the debris falls to the street, and eventually the clock mechanism breaks causing the clock hands to fall out of time. The fire fighters raise a large ladder from the fire engine in order to try and fight the fire. Eventually they are able to suppress the flames before anymore damage is caused to the Town Hall building. The mills, however, appear to be only a shell of the former building completely destroyed by the conflagration. After the fire department's efforts, one of the firemen poses for a picture with the crowd. Title - The End.