Trencherfield Mill
Encyclopedia
Trencherfield Mill is a cotton spinning mill
standing on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
, Wigan
, Greater Manchester
. It was built in 1907 It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds
in 1964. It was driven by 2,500 hp triple-expansion four-cylinder engine
by J & E Wood
of Bolton built in 1907. The engines were called Rina and Helen. They drove a 26-foot flywheel with 54 ropes at 68 rpm. The engine was stopped in 1968.
It is now part of the Wigan Pier
redevelopment area. The mill has been redeveloped.
, England. It stands on the River Douglas
which was canalised
in the 1740s, 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Preston, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) west-northwest of Manchester
, and 17.4 miles (28 km) east-northeast of Liverpool
. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
and is its administrative centre. Wigan is served by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
, and the London and North Western Railway
and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
. Trencherfield Mill stands by Wigan Pier
, a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
, which was made famous by the writer George Orwell
in his book, The Road to Wigan Pier
.Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the local inhabitants during the 1930s.
a part of Lancashire
During the Industrial Revolution
Wigan experienced dramatic economic expansion and a rapid rise in the population. Although porcelain manufacture and clock making had been major industries in the town, Wigan has since become known as a major mill town
and coal mining
district. The first coal mine was established at Wigan in 1450 and at its peak there were 1,000 pit shafts within 5 miles (8 km) of the town centre. Mining was so extensive that one of its town councillors once remarked that "a coal mine in the backyard was not uncommon in Wigan". Coal mining ceased during the latter part of the 20th century. In 1974, Wigan became a part of Greater Manchester.
Wigan's status as a centre for coal production, engineering and textiles in the 18th century led to the Douglas Navigation
in the 1740s, the canalisation of part of the River Douglas
, and later the diversion of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
in the 1790s at the request of the mill owners, to transport coal from the Lancashire coal pits to Wigan's mills and was also used extensively to transport local produce. As a mill town
, Wigan was an important centre of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
; however it wasn't until the 1800s that cotton factories began to spread into the town. This was due to a dearth of fast-flowing streams and rivers in the area, but by 1818 there were eight cotton mills in the Wallgate part of Wigan. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power loom
s to the Wigan cotton mills.
Trencherfield Mill was built alongside the canal in 1907, for William Woods & Sons Ltd.
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. Trencherfield Mill was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950.
The derelict Grade II listed building has been renovated to become a development comprising commercial, retail, and leisure space and 52 one and two-bedroom apartments. The mill engine has been preserved, and restored. As of 2009 it can be seen in steam each Sunday morning.
by J & E Wood
of Bolton built in 1907. The engines were called Rina and Helen. They drove a 26-foot flywheel with 54 ropes at 68 rpm. The cylinders were steamed at 200psi. As a four-cylinder engine, there were two 44"LPs, a 40"IP, and 25"HP with a 5-foot stroke. There were Corliss valves on all cylinders, Dobson block motion on HP and IP. The air pump was driven from each crosshead. Lumb governor.
triple-expansion steam engine has been restored and operates as a visitor attraction known as the Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine. Engineers provide visitor tours on Sundays, and school and group visits are available during the week.
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....
standing on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, 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 1907 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. It was driven by 2,500 hp triple-expansion four-cylinder engine
Stationary steam engine
Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars , agricultural engines used for ploughing or...
by J & E Wood
J & E Wood
J & E Wood was a company that manufactured stationary steam engines. It was based in the Bolton district of Manchester in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills in Lancashire and elsewhere.-History:...
of Bolton built in 1907. The engines were called Rina and Helen. They drove a 26-foot flywheel with 54 ropes at 68 rpm. The engine was stopped in 1968.
It is now part of the Wigan Pier
Wigan Pier
Wigan Pier is the name given today to the area around the canal at the bottom of the Wigan flight of locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It is a popular location for visitors and the local community in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, situated just a few hundred yards south-west of the town...
redevelopment area. The mill has been redeveloped.
Location
Wigan is a town in Greater ManchesterGreater 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 stands on the River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
which was canalised
Douglas Navigation
The Douglas Navigation was a canalised section of the River Douglas or Asland, in Lancashire, England, running from its confluence with the River Ribble to Wigan. Authorised in 1720, it opened in 1742, but its working life was short, as it was bought out by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company in...
in the 1740s, 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Preston, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) west-northwest 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...
, and 17.4 miles (28 km) east-northeast of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
and is its administrative centre. Wigan is served by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
, and 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...
and 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...
. Trencherfield Mill stands by Wigan Pier
Wigan Pier
Wigan Pier is the name given today to the area around the canal at the bottom of the Wigan flight of locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It is a popular location for visitors and the local community in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, situated just a few hundred yards south-west of the town...
, a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
, which was made famous by the writer George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
in his book, The Road to Wigan Pier
The Road to Wigan Pier
The Road to Wigan Pier is a book by the British writer George Orwell, first published in 1937. The first half of this work documents his sociological investigations of the bleak living conditions amongst the working class in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the industrial north of England before World...
.Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the local inhabitants during the 1930s.
History
HistoricallyHistoric 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 Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
During the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
Wigan experienced dramatic economic expansion and a rapid rise in the population. Although porcelain manufacture and clock making had been major industries in the town, Wigan has since become known as a major mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
and coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
district. The first coal mine was established at Wigan in 1450 and at its peak there were 1,000 pit shafts within 5 miles (8 km) of the town centre. Mining was so extensive that one of its town councillors once remarked that "a coal mine in the backyard was not uncommon in Wigan". Coal mining ceased during the latter part of the 20th century. In 1974, Wigan became a part of Greater Manchester.
Wigan's status as a centre for coal production, engineering and textiles in the 18th century led to the Douglas Navigation
Douglas Navigation
The Douglas Navigation was a canalised section of the River Douglas or Asland, in Lancashire, England, running from its confluence with the River Ribble to Wigan. Authorised in 1720, it opened in 1742, but its working life was short, as it was bought out by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company in...
in the 1740s, the canalisation of part of the River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
, and later the diversion of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
in the 1790s at the request of the mill owners, to transport coal from the Lancashire coal pits to Wigan's mills and was also used extensively to transport local produce. As a mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, Wigan was an important centre 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...
; however it wasn't until the 1800s that cotton factories began to spread into the town. This was due to a dearth of fast-flowing streams and rivers in the area, but by 1818 there were eight cotton mills in the Wallgate part of Wigan. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
s to the Wigan cotton mills.
Trencherfield Mill was built alongside the canal in 1907, for William Woods & Sons Ltd.
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. Trencherfield Mill was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950.
The derelict Grade II listed building has been renovated to become a development comprising commercial, retail, and leisure space and 52 one and two-bedroom apartments. The mill engine has been preserved, and restored. As of 2009 it can be seen in steam each Sunday morning.
Architecture
The original Trencherfield Mill was built in 1822–23 by William Woods. The present building dates from 1907, this was an early 20th-century mill. It had four-storeys and a basement; it was 31 by 6 bays. The chimney is circular.Power
It was driven by 2,500 hp triple-expansion four-cylinder steam engineStationary steam engine
Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars , agricultural engines used for ploughing or...
by J & E Wood
J & E Wood
J & E Wood was a company that manufactured stationary steam engines. It was based in the Bolton district of Manchester in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills in Lancashire and elsewhere.-History:...
of Bolton built in 1907. The engines were called Rina and Helen. They drove a 26-foot flywheel with 54 ropes at 68 rpm. The cylinders were steamed at 200psi. As a four-cylinder engine, there were two 44"LPs, a 40"IP, and 25"HP with a 5-foot stroke. There were Corliss valves on all cylinders, Dobson block motion on HP and IP. The air pump was driven from each crosshead. Lumb governor.
Trencherfield Mill steam engine
The 2500 hp J & E WoodJ & E Wood
J & E Wood was a company that manufactured stationary steam engines. It was based in the Bolton district of Manchester in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills in Lancashire and elsewhere.-History:...
triple-expansion steam engine has been restored and operates as a visitor attraction known as the Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine. Engineers provide visitor tours on Sundays, and school and group visits are available during the week.
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....
External links
- www.cottontown.org
- www.spinningtheweb.org.uk
- Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine – official site at Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust