Five years ago, Eric Dean brought out a volume of reminiscences and poems called Laikin Around Brat’ford, partly to acknowledge the life of his mother Alice, who worked at Lister’s Mill from the age of 12, until 1936.

He was born in the shadow of it in 1932 and learned his letters at Lilycroft School just across the road from it.

Three hundred copies of Eric’s £2.50 book have been sold to date. Some are still available at the Manningham Mills Centre.

The book is accompanied by an exhibition of paintings – larger versions of the pencil drawings Eric did to illustrate the book – that can be seen at the centre, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm, until the end of August.

Eric, a former Bradford magistrate, said: “There are nine paintings. I did pencil illustrations for the book, but I did them again as paintings.”

His wife Mary revealed that he had drawing lessons with Susan Ross at Bolton Royd, off Manningham Lane. She gave him the confidence to draw for the book.

“It took about a year. And then I did a whole set of drawings,” he added.

That kind of methodical approach is what you might expect from a man who spent his working life in engineering.

He spent 12 years writing technical manuals before he retired. One of his pastimes is making model mill engines out of scrap metal. How big, though?

“I have the facilities to make one up that could drive a rowing boat,” he replied.

He joined Bradford Magistrates bench in 1978 and remained a JP for 24 years – hearing a few fibs and learning a few lessons along the way.