Mills

Brownsfield Mill was constructed in 1825 as a room and power cotton mill on the side of the Rochdale Canal in the Ancoats district of Manchester with power supplied by a sixty horse power steam engine. It is Listed Grade II*.

Arrow Mill, Castleton, Rochdale was was designed by Sydney Stott for R & T Howarth. It was built very quickly. The contract to build was signed in late 1906, the first brick was laid in January 1907, the engine first ran under steam in February 1908 and the first cotton was spun in this large mill fifteen months after the first brick was laid. It was acquired by Courtaulds Ltd in 1934 and sold by them to Arrow Mill Fabrics Ltd in 1979. This was the last cotton mill to operate in the Rochdale area and did not cease production until the late 1990s. It is now listed Grade II and is in multiple occupation.

Photographs of the Macclesfield Canal showing working boats are scarce and I have been seeking a view of a boat associated with the fireclay traffic for some time. The best I have managed so far is this newspaper photograph from 1934 which was taken from Sugar Lane bridge in Adlington looking toward the Clarence Mill in Bollington. If you look closely at the canal near to the chimney it appears that there is a boat there, probably bringing in coal for the boilers. Nearer to the camera is a boat at the wharf for the Clarence fireclay mine operated by John Hall & Son (Dukinfield) Limited which supplied their works in Dukinfield with up to six 18 ton boatloads of clay per week. Clay, and a small amount of coal, was brought from the mine off in the fields to the left in tubs and tipped down chutes into the boat. The boat is most likely to be named "Benefactor" as this was a regular on this run at the time. The mine closed in 1938.

The limestone quarries at Penmon Park were operating in the early nineteenth century. By 1875 the workings were connected to a saw mill and jetty at Porth Penmon by a 3ft 6ins gauge incline. At this time the quarries were in the control of Samuel Blatchford Tucker and the Anglesea (Penmon) Marble Quarries Co Ltd. This company was liquidated in 1879 and followed by Public Works & Contract Co Ltd (registered in1883 and liquidated in 1890), Penmon Quarries Ltd (1886 - 1891). From 1890 the quarries were worked by John Harold Hope until closure in 1911. The route of the incline can be seen left of centre in this photo. The piers and timbers in the foreground once held a travelling crane, whilst the stone building in the background is the remains of the sawmill.

In 1884 James Eckersley built this, the first of the Western Mills and by 1899 there were three mills on the site being operated by James Eckersley & Sons. In 1888 the firm was the largest ring spinning business in Britain. Today the remains of the mills are in poor condition and awaiting a rejuvenation scheme. The No.1 mill seen here was built as an integrated mill with a spinning block with integral engine house, chimney, reeling and winding rooms, weaving shed and warehouse. This is the spinning block which is listed Grade II. In front once stood James Eckersley senior's original Swan Meadow Mills of 1827 and 1838 which were demolished in 1960 and 1963.

The Hovis Mill in Macclesfield remains a significant feature of the town even now it has been converted to apartments. This view is taken from a small illustration at the bottom of a retirement address presented to a worker at the mill in 1943. It is somewhat idealised and I certainly don't think there was that much traffic on the canal by 1943!

I haven't been able to find much of the history of Cobden Mill, Farnworth. In 1891 it was owned by John Harwood and Son, cotton spinners. Today it is the headquarters of The Lighting & Interiors Group.

Alongside the Rochdale Canal in Ancoats are this fine group of cotton mills. From the right are Murray's Decker Mill (1801-02) and Old Mill (1798), McConnel & Kennedy's Sedgwick Mill (1819-20) and Royal Mill 1912), with Brownsfield Mill (1825) in the left distance.

The Ace Mill was built in 1914 as the Gorse No.2 Mill, to the design of P.S. Stott. A 2000hp Urmson & Thompson engine was installed. Immediately requisitioned for aircraft production in WWI, cotton spinning did not begin until 1919 at which time it was renamed by the owners, Ace Mill Ltd. Later ownership included the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s, and Courtaulds Ltd in 1964 until production ended in 1967. The mill is currently occupied by electrical equipment company MEM-Delta.

Peter Reed and John Moorby built their new mill in Nelson where production started om October 31st 1891. Spring Bank Mill contained the second largest weaving shed in the world at that time (748 shuttle looms). Today the firm of William Reed Weaving occupies the premises as part of Allied Textiles plc. William Reed manufacture continuous filament fabrics in nylon, Polyester and Acetate for a wide range of uses including parachutes, hot air balloons, flame retardant fabrics, and spinnaker fabrics.

Big Mill at Leek was part of the Wardle & Davenport Belle Vue Mills complex. It was built in 1857 and now stands empty.

Detail at Swan Lane Mills, Bolton. The Swan Lane No.3 Mill was built in 1914 to the design of Stott & Sons of Oldham. The Swan Lane Spinning Co Ltd. finally closed the mill in 1963 and it is now partly occupied by a range of businesses. It is listed Grade II* but is on the register of buildings at risk.

This one has proved to be difficult to pin down as I have been unable to find anything about the history of ths cotton spinning mill at Moses Gate, Bolton. Today it is in multiple occupation, including the manufacture of clothing for major chains.

Former Co-op in one of the many terraced street around Nelson continues partly in use selling groceries. The weaving mill at the bottom of the street is still in business too!

This cotton-weaving mill was started 1855 by Samuel Turner. He and his three sons, John, Samuel II and Robert traded as Turner Bros and diversified into the manufacture of cotton packings for valves and glands. In 1879 they started spinning and weaving asbestos which by then was being imported from Canada and proved a better material for packings. By 1900 they were making asbestos yarns, cloth, and hair belting as well as packings. In 1920 they formed a new copmany Turner & Newall with the Washington Chemical Co. in County Durham, Newall's Insulation Co. and J. W. Roberts of Leeds. In 1925 they acquired Ferodo of Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, manufacturers of brake linings. At one time this was the largest asbestos factory in the world, equipped with modern asbestos carding, spinning and doubling machines and looms, plaiting machines. Subsequent legislation against asbestos due to its disastrous effect on health of workers and anyone coming into contact with its fibres has seen the industry collapse and the lodging of massive compensation claims. Large sections of the mill have been demolished although some parts remain in other industrial use.

Mill lasses stop for a lunchtime smoke and chat outside Brownlow Fold No3 Mill, Bolton. The mill was the third in a complex built by Richard Harwood and Son Ltd and opened in 1907. It was closed as a cotton mill in 1963 and subesquently was used as a postal sorting office. It is currently occupied by a soft furnishings manufacturer.

Croal Mill was built in 1908 to the design of Bradshaw and Gass for the Croal Spinning Company Limited. Cotton spinning ended in 1967 and the mill is now used as a mail order warehouse for Littlewoods.

The Swan Lane No.3 Mill was built in 1914 to the design of Stott & Sons of Oldham. The Swan Lane Spinning Co Ltd. finally closed the mill in 1963 and it is now partly occupied by a range of businesses. It is listed Grade II* but is on the register of buildings at risk. This wonderful terracotta decoration is over the staff entrance which is hidden away in the mill yard.