Shudehill Mill
Encyclopedia
Shudehill Mill or Simpson's Mill was a very early cotton mill, in the centre of Manchester
, England
. It was built in 1782 by partners of Richard Arkwright
, and destroyed by fire in 1854, rebuilt and finally destroyed during the Manchester blitz
in 1940. It was one of the larger Arkwright mills, built 3 years before his patent lapsed. In order to provide the water flow over its 9.1m diameter water wheel, a Newcomen atmospheric engine was installed. Doubts remain as to the actual function of this engine, whether it was a failed attempt to power a mill directly by steam that was modified to assist the wheel. Some believed that this engine, constructed by Hunt, could have been one of the thirteen engines installed into Manchester mills by Joshua Wrigley. Water flowed from the upper storage pond over the water wheel to drive the mill. The steam engine recycled the water up from the lower storage pond to the upper storage pond. This was soon augmented by three Boulton and Watt
engines to provide power for the increasing number of spindles. The mill was damaged by fire in 1854, and destroyed in an air-raid
in October 1940.
and Mersey
had been made navigable as far as Manchester in the 1720s, which opened the way for importing cotton and exporting the cloth. The Bridgewater Canal
ran from the coal
fields at Worsley
to the Castlefield Basin
; it opened in 1761. Arkwright had patented a water frame
for the spinning of cotton, and then in 1775 he solved the other problem by patenting a mechanical carding
engine. He took out a second patent that year for drawing and roving. All the pieces were in place for a large automated spinning mill to be built in Manchester. Shudehill mill which was a watermill, was not on any stream, but derived its power from cycling water between two storage ponds, a steam pump was used to replenish the upper pond from the lower.
Shudehill mill was close to three of Manchester's great stations, Manchester Victoria railway station, Manchester Exchange railway station and Oldham Road railway station. Shudehill Interchange
is the present metro station. The mill itself would lie under the shadow of the CIS tower. The Shudehill conservation area is the other side of the tower.
Simpsons Mill was a five storey, Arkwright type mill 9.1 m wide and 60.9m long. It housed water frames, carding machines and roving and drawing frames using designs patented by Arkwright. It was driven by a 9.1 m diameter waterwheel driven from the upper storage pond. A steam engine drove a water pump to send the water back to the upper pond. It is thought that the steam engine was of the Newcomen type, though some sources speculate that it could have been of the Savery type. The pump had two cylinders, 31 in in diameter and a stroke of 7 ft 9 in- the steam cylinder was 64 in in diameter. It operated at 11-12 strokes per minute. It used 5 tonnes of coal a day. It was perhaps because of this excessive coal consumption, that it was supplemented in 1790 with a 6 hp, Boulton and Watt
rotative engine. They ran 4000 spindles. A year later in 1791 they ordered a 40 hp rotative engine to replace them. This was the largest engine that Boulton and Watt had made at that time, and it was operating by the end of the summer in 1792. . A further 30 hp Boulton and Watt was bought in 1799. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1854.
By 1888 it had been rebuilt using many of the original walls. It was at this stage that two extra storeys were added. The two reservoirs were filled in- it operated under steam. Then in October 1892, the mill was sold to Baxendale and Co., a firm of engineers and plumbers'
merchants. They described 'the structure, of the mill, was massive brickwork with very heavy wooden floors supported by
corbels in the walls.' They redeveloped the site. By 1908 the main building was subdivided. Baxendales mill was destroyed by enemy action on the night of 23 October 1940. The site remained derelict until it was redeveloped by NCP as a car-park.
The engine house and the chimney were detached from the mill, though a later engine house may have been built adjacent to the centre on the eastern side.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was built in 1782 by partners of Richard Arkwright
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...
, and destroyed by fire in 1854, rebuilt and finally destroyed during the Manchester blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
in 1940. It was one of the larger Arkwright mills, built 3 years before his patent lapsed. In order to provide the water flow over its 9.1m diameter water wheel, a Newcomen atmospheric engine was installed. Doubts remain as to the actual function of this engine, whether it was a failed attempt to power a mill directly by steam that was modified to assist the wheel. Some believed that this engine, constructed by Hunt, could have been one of the thirteen engines installed into Manchester mills by Joshua Wrigley. Water flowed from the upper storage pond over the water wheel to drive the mill. The steam engine recycled the water up from the lower storage pond to the upper storage pond. This was soon augmented by three Boulton and Watt
Boulton and Watt
The firm of Boulton & Watt was initially a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt.-The engine partnership:The partnership was formed in 1775 to exploit Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser. This made much more efficient use of its fuel than the older Newcomen engine...
engines to provide power for the increasing number of spindles. The mill was damaged by fire in 1854, and destroyed in an air-raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
in October 1940.
Location
Shudehill is an area in the centre of Manchester, near its highest point. Shudehill mill was built between Miller Street and Angel Street to the north of Rochdale Road; it is now a car park. The River IrwellRiver Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
and Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
had been made navigable as far as Manchester in the 1720s, which opened the way for importing cotton and exporting the cloth. The Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
ran from the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fields at Worsley
Worsley
Worsley is a town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies along the course of Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. The M60 motorway bisects the area....
to the Castlefield Basin
Castlefield
Castlefield is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. The conservation area which bears its name is bounded by the River Irwell, Quay Street, Deansgate and the Chester Road. It was the site of the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which gave its name to Manchester...
; it opened in 1761. Arkwright had patented a water frame
Water frame
The water frame is the name given to the spinning frame, when water power is used to drive it. Both are credited to Richard Arkwright who patented the technology in 1768. It was based on an invention by Thomas Highs and the patent was later overturned...
for the spinning of cotton, and then in 1775 he solved the other problem by patenting a mechanical carding
Textile manufacturing
Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
engine. He took out a second patent that year for drawing and roving. All the pieces were in place for a large automated spinning mill to be built in Manchester. Shudehill mill which was a watermill, was not on any stream, but derived its power from cycling water between two storage ponds, a steam pump was used to replenish the upper pond from the lower.
Shudehill mill was close to three of Manchester's great stations, Manchester Victoria railway station, Manchester Exchange railway station and Oldham Road railway station. Shudehill Interchange
Shudehill Interchange
Shudehill Interchange, known locally as just Shudehill, is a transport interchange located between Manchester Victoria station and the Northern Quarter in Manchester.It comprises a Manchester Metrolink station and a bus station.-Bus station:...
is the present metro station. The mill itself would lie under the shadow of the CIS tower. The Shudehill conservation area is the other side of the tower.
History
The site was originally used as a brick works; it was purchased in 1781, by Arkwright and his partners.Simpsons Mill was a five storey, Arkwright type mill 9.1 m wide and 60.9m long. It housed water frames, carding machines and roving and drawing frames using designs patented by Arkwright. It was driven by a 9.1 m diameter waterwheel driven from the upper storage pond. A steam engine drove a water pump to send the water back to the upper pond. It is thought that the steam engine was of the Newcomen type, though some sources speculate that it could have been of the Savery type. The pump had two cylinders, 31 in in diameter and a stroke of 7 ft 9 in- the steam cylinder was 64 in in diameter. It operated at 11-12 strokes per minute. It used 5 tonnes of coal a day. It was perhaps because of this excessive coal consumption, that it was supplemented in 1790 with a 6 hp, Boulton and Watt
Boulton and Watt
The firm of Boulton & Watt was initially a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt.-The engine partnership:The partnership was formed in 1775 to exploit Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser. This made much more efficient use of its fuel than the older Newcomen engine...
rotative engine. They ran 4000 spindles. A year later in 1791 they ordered a 40 hp rotative engine to replace them. This was the largest engine that Boulton and Watt had made at that time, and it was operating by the end of the summer in 1792. . A further 30 hp Boulton and Watt was bought in 1799. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1854.
By 1888 it had been rebuilt using many of the original walls. It was at this stage that two extra storeys were added. The two reservoirs were filled in- it operated under steam. Then in October 1892, the mill was sold to Baxendale and Co., a firm of engineers and plumbers'
merchants. They described 'the structure, of the mill, was massive brickwork with very heavy wooden floors supported by
corbels in the walls.' They redeveloped the site. By 1908 the main building was subdivided. Baxendales mill was destroyed by enemy action on the night of 23 October 1940. The site remained derelict until it was redeveloped by NCP as a car-park.
Architecture
Simpsons Mill was a five storey, Arkwright type mill said to be 9.1 m wide and 60.9m long. Baxendaleś mill was seven storeys, and used the same massive walls. In 2004, an archaeological dig was done on the site to try to solve some outstanding questions. It had been claimed that the Newcomen engine was not used as a pumping engine, but was an attempt that failed to power the mill directly from steam. The original width of the first mill was in doubt, and the position of the wheel pit not known. The results suggest that the mill was always 12m wide, and the wheel pit was internal to the mill. The original function of the Newcomen engine remains undecided.Power
- The mill was powered by a 9.1m water wheel, with the water being recycled by engine to the top reservoir. A form of pump-storage.
- This was supplemented, or assisted by a Newcomen engine built by Hunt.
- A 6 hp Bolton and Watt replaced or supplemented the Newcomen engine
- A 40 hp Bolton and Watt was introduced to power more spindles
- A 30 hp Bolton and Watt was introduced to power more spindles
The engine house and the chimney were detached from the mill, though a later engine house may have been built adjacent to the centre on the eastern side.