Stalybridge Mill, Stalybridge
Encyclopedia
Stalybridge Mill, Stalybridge is a cotton spinning mill
in Stalybridge
, Tameside
, Greater Manchester
. It was built in 1868, and the engine reconfigured in around 1925 It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds
in 1964.
in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies on the course of the River Tame
and the Huddersfield canal
, on undulating land in the foothills of the Pennines. Historically
a part of Cheshire
, it is 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Manchester
city centre and 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Glossop
. The road from Oldham
, to the pennine passes: the Snake pass and Woodhead, bridges the river at this point. Stalybridge was the junction of three early railway companies.The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway
Company was formed on 19 July 1844 and the railway was connected to Stalybridge on 5 October 1846. On 9 July 1847 the company was acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
. On 1 August 1849 the Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway connected Stalybridge to Huddersfield
and later to Stockport
. This line later became part of the London and North Western Railway
.
in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the first centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
. The 19th-century wealth of the town was built on the factory-based cotton industry, transforming an area of scattered farms and homesteads into a self-confident town.
The 1776 mill was first water-powered; built at Rassbottom for carding and spinning cotton. In 1789 the town's first spinning mill using the principle of Arkwright
's Water-Frame
was built. By 1793 steam power had been introduced to the Stalybridge cotton industry and by 1803 there were eight cotton mills in the growing town containing 76,000 spindles. There was opposition and serious disturbances in town between November 1811 and April 1812 during the Luddites uprising. The social unrest did not curb the growth of Stalybridge. By 1814 there were twelve factories and by 1818 the number had increased to sixteen. When the Chartist petition
was rejected, the ensuing disturbances known as the Plug Riots
started in Stalybridge.
Stalybridge mill was built in 1868, during the first joint-stock company
boom immediately after the cotton famine had ended.
The industry peaked in 1912 when it produced 8 billion yards of cloth. The Great War of 1914–18 halted the supply of raw cotton, and the British government encouraged its colonies to build mills to spin and weave cotton. The war over, Lancashire never regained its markets. The independent mills were struggling. The Bank of England
set up the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
in 1929 to attempt to rationalise and save the industry. Stalybridge Mill, Stalybridge was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950.
It was rebuilt in 1925(?) by Scott & Hodgson
as a 1600 hp engine. This engine had slide valves on the LP which were now at the front. The HP cylinders had Corliss valves; they were steamed at 120psi, by four Lancashire boilers, An economiser was used. Marine type connecting rods and trunk guides were fitted.
doing coarse counts
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
, Tameside
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after the River Tame which flows through the borough and spans the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Its western...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. It was built in 1868, and the engine reconfigured in around 1925 It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
Lancashire Cotton Corporation
The Lancashire Cotton Corporation was a company set up by the Bank of England in 1929, to rescue the Lancashire spinning industry by means of horizontal rationalisation. In merged 105 companies, ending up in 1950 with 53 operating mills. It was bought up by Courtaulds in August 1964.-Formation:By...
in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds
Courtaulds
Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...
in 1964.
Location
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of TamesideTameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after the River Tame which flows through the borough and spans the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Its western...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It lies on the course of the River Tame
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
and the Huddersfield canal
Huddersfield Narrow Canal
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland waterway in northern England. It runs just under from Lock 1E at the rear of the University of Huddersfield campus, near Aspley Basin at Huddersfield to the junction with the Ashton Canal at Whitelands Basin in Ashton-under-Lyne...
, on undulating land in the foothills of the Pennines. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, it is 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Manchester
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...
city centre and 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
. The road from Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, to the pennine passes: the Snake pass and Woodhead, bridges the river at this point. Stalybridge was the junction of three early railway companies.The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway
Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway
The Ashton, Stalybridge & Liverpool Junction Railway , was formed in 1844 and was taken over by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1847.-History:...
Company was formed on 19 July 1844 and the railway was connected to Stalybridge on 5 October 1846. On 9 July 1847 the company was acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
. On 1 August 1849 the Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway connected Stalybridge to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
and later to Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
. This line later became part of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
.
History
Farming and woollen spinning were the main means subsistence before the construction of a cotton millCotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the first centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution changed the nature of work and society. Opinion varies as to the exact date, but it is estimated that the First Industrial Revolution took place between 1750 and 1850, and the second phase or Second Industrial Revolution between 1860 and 1900. The three key drivers in...
. The 19th-century wealth of the town was built on the factory-based cotton industry, transforming an area of scattered farms and homesteads into a self-confident town.
The 1776 mill was first water-powered; built at Rassbottom for carding and spinning cotton. In 1789 the town's first spinning mill using the principle of 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...
's 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...
was built. By 1793 steam power had been introduced to the Stalybridge cotton industry and by 1803 there were eight cotton mills in the growing town containing 76,000 spindles. There was opposition and serious disturbances in town between November 1811 and April 1812 during the Luddites uprising. The social unrest did not curb the growth of Stalybridge. By 1814 there were twelve factories and by 1818 the number had increased to sixteen. When the Chartist petition
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
was rejected, the ensuing disturbances known as the Plug Riots
1842 General Strike
The 1842 General Strike, also known as the Plug Plot Riots, started among the miners in Staffordshire, England, and soon spread through Britain affecting factories, mills and coal mines from Dundee to South Wales and Cornwall....
started in Stalybridge.
Stalybridge mill was built in 1868, during the first joint-stock company
Oldham Limiteds
Oldham Limiteds were the 154 cotton manufacturing companies founded to build or operate cotton mills in Oldham in northwest England, and predominantly during the joint-stock boom of 1873–1875.-History:...
boom immediately after the cotton famine had ended.
The industry peaked in 1912 when it produced 8 billion yards of cloth. The Great War of 1914–18 halted the supply of raw cotton, and the British government encouraged its colonies to build mills to spin and weave cotton. The war over, Lancashire never regained its markets. The independent mills were struggling. The Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
set up the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
Lancashire Cotton Corporation
The Lancashire Cotton Corporation was a company set up by the Bank of England in 1929, to rescue the Lancashire spinning industry by means of horizontal rationalisation. In merged 105 companies, ending up in 1950 with 53 operating mills. It was bought up by Courtaulds in August 1964.-Formation:By...
in 1929 to attempt to rationalise and save the industry. Stalybridge Mill, Stalybridge was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950.
Architecture
This was a six-storey mill, with a centrally placed engine and rope race. There was one six-storey extension, and a three-storey extension on the same wall as the water tower.Power
It was originally driven by 1000 hp twin tandem compound engine by Goodfellow and Matthews built in 1868. It had a 30-foot flywheel with 27 ropes, which operated at 55rpm. It had two 22"HP and two 42"LP cylinders with a 6-foot stroke. The air pumps were driven by lever from crossheads with guides between HP and LP cylinders. This had Corliss valves on all cylinders and was steamed at 80psi. The HP cylinders were to the front.It was rebuilt in 1925(?) by Scott & Hodgson
Scott & Hodgson Ltd
Scott & Hodgson Ltd, was a manufacturer of stationary steam engines in Guide Bridge, Greater Manchester. For instance, in 1914, they supplied an inverted vertical compound engine with Corliss valve gear to Hardman and Ingham's Diamond Rope Works, Royton, Lancashire...
as a 1600 hp engine. This engine had slide valves on the LP which were now at the front. The HP cylinders had Corliss valves; they were steamed at 120psi, by four Lancashire boilers, An economiser was used. Marine type connecting rods and trunk guides were fitted.
Equipment
It operated 75,000 spindles in 1887, rising in 1891 to 87,000 spindles, 348/388 twist, 408/528 weft. In 1951, it was an all ring millRing spinning
Ring spinning is a method of spinning fibres, such as cotton, flax or wool, to make a yarn. The ring frame developed from the throstle frame, which in its turn was a descendant of Arkwright's water frame. Ring spinning is a continuous process, unlike mule spinning which uses an intermittent action...
doing coarse counts
Owners
- Stalybridge Cotton Mill Co. Ltd.
- Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930's-1964)
- Courtaulds (1964-)
See also
- Textile manufacturingTextile manufacturingTextile 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...
- Cotton MillCotton millA cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....