In the past, a water-powered mill operated at Gayle and in Hawes; the Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire, for example, was built in 1784. The mills were used to grind corn, produce textiles (wool, cotton, linen, silk, flax), generate electricity or saw wood. Limestone was burnt in kilns. In 1789, Gayle Mill adopted new technology, and became a mechanised sawmill powered by a double-vortex turbine. In 1919, part of the mill was hired to provide electricity to the area using turbines for the generator. The mill provided electricity for the village until 1948.