A LANCASHIRE Telegraph Camera Club member has captured a moment of East Lancashire history when the chimney at a former mill was knocked down.

Darren Sagar, from Rishton, videoed the demolition of the chimney at the ex-Duckworth Mill and Masta Bar site on Kirk Road in Church.

The site is set to be transformed with 47 homes as part of the scheme by Gleeson Homes.

Darren took his son Bailey to try to watch the stunning sight.

He said: “I know a guy who works with the demolition company and he told me that it was coming down and it was the last chimney in the area that was being demolished.

“You can see it from miles away and we can spot it from Rishton and it is great part of the landscape in the area.

“It is sad really to see it being knocked down but has gone into a state of disrepair.

“I thought people needed to see it and it does not look like it will happen in my lifetime.

“It was part of history that I can show off in future.

“The craftmanship of the chimney was something to behold and it was not just like some buildings now where it is a row of bricks.

“I was surprised by how well-built it was and you can see why it has been up there for more than 100 years.

“Everything looks so structurally safe and it was amazing.”

Darren admitted it took 10 minutes and 20 seconds from the first brick being knocked off until the site was cleared.

He said: “It looked a bit precarious with the crane on top of the mound trying to get it knocked down from the top.

“I was just expecting them to just blast it or blow it down but instead the crane went on the mound.

“It looked like one of those massive fairground grabbing machines and they just dragged it down.

“There were a few people there watching it happen maybe 20 or 30 and it was nice to see kids looking at it too.

“We were watching from the canal side from a safe distance. It was sad to it go.”

Last month the Lancashire Telegraph featured a story on the mill where fellow Camera Club member Gary Britland took photographs in the grounds.

Gary also did some research about the old site which was built by WM Duckworth in 1881 and was a mill with printing and dying.

It was the last weaving mill built in Church and housed 936 mills but by 1889 that increased to 1048.

It was later taken over by Mastabar Mining producing engineering equipment for industry.

The boiler house lies immediately to the east of the engine house. The reduced, circular brick chimney lies behind the boiler house