High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Mills in Glossop, Derbyshire and Tintwistle, Cheshire, England.The first mills were built in the 1760s, and were powered by the water of the River Etherow and its tributaries. As the industry developed, the mills changed hands, were demolished, were converted to use steam,or consolidated into larger units. They changed their names and their functions. Water powered mills were smaller than the later steam powered mills found in Greater Manchester.