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History
Cottages
Mills
to 1877
Mills after 1877
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GREAT HARWOOD
Cotton Mills
(Before the railway) |
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Bank
Mill, Church
Street.
The first power mill in Great Harwood erected in 1844 by
Lawrence Catterall later to be called the "father" of Great
Harwood by John
Mercer for
this enterprise. At his wedding in 1815, where Mercer
was a witness, Catterall was described as a weaver rising a year later
to "calico printer of Hindle Fold". By the time he built the
mill he was a handloom manufacturer but obviously saw that his days in
that trade were numbered. His foresight did
not include the American Civil War and the consequent Cotton Famine which
ruined the business. |
I
used to catch the bus to school from that shelter. |
A
four storey spinning mill with ground floor loom-shop it was extended
in 1853 to accommodate more handlooms and later power looms. In
1860 there were 26,000 mule spindles, 610 looms and 300 workers.
Further extensions over the years meant that in 1910 it housed:
13,224
weft mule spindles
10,400 ring spindles
944 looms
As with many mills operations were limited during the 1930s but
production continued on a reduced scale until the 1960s when the
mill was finally closed.
Demolished in the early 1970s the site now holds a Senior
Citizens Centre and a Youth and Community Centre. |
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St.
Lawrence Mill, Mill
Street.
Established in 1844-45 by William Birtwistle and William and Haworth
Fielding. A spinning and weaving mill it employed 280 workers
in 1857 and ran 9004 mule spindles and 445 looms in the 1870s.
Spinning ceased in 1887 and a shed extension in 1895 increased
loom numbers to 792. The mill closed in 1929 and some of the buildings
were demolished but it was later used for waste processing and
felt manufacture and in 1948 HARDURA Ltd, maker of floor coverings
used extensively by the motor industry, took over employing 200
people in the 1960s.
The
last of the twenty two mill chimneys in Great Harwood |
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Britannia
Mill, Queen St.
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Built
by John and Robert Mercer, sons of the chemist, and Joseph Haydock
in 1849-50. Leased out to begin with the builders only took over the
running of the mill in 1854 employing 360 people on 600 looms. Closed
in 1869 due to the Cotton Famine it reopened in 1878 and had 649 loom
in 1879. After intermittent production the mill finally closed in
1933. It was bought by the U.D.C. in 1937 and demolished. Eventually
a nursery and the library were built on the site.
Church
Street Mill, Mill Street. A
lso known as Robin Top and
Perseverance, built c1850 by Robert Smith, farmer and handloom manufacturer.
About 250 looms and 280 workers in the late 1850s. Run by various companies
until it too closed in 1933 parts of the mill later became a garage
and print works. |
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Victoria
Mill, Queen St.
A weaving shed built 1852-53 by James Walmesley and Mark Noble.
Employing 120 hands in the late 1850s and 516 looms in the 1890s
it was extended in 1905 and looms increased to 676. In 1929 the
Church Street Manufacturing Company acquired the mill and they
were confident enough to place this advertisement in the Great
Harwood Festival of Britain Progamme "Our Town, 1951".
The mill closed in 1954. |
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Commercial
or Clayton Street Mill,
Clayton St.
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A
weaving shed erected in 1854 by the Great Harwood Commercial Company
a co-operative started by local residents. In 1856 the firm became
the first limited liability company in the area. There were 168
looms and 150 employees in 1858 increasing to 480 looms in the
1870s. After a fire in 1892 the mill was reconstructed and the
number of looms increased to 528.
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Mill
entrance and stub of the chimney. |
The
mill yard would have been a place of great activity.
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Showing
the south side of the "northern lights". North facing
roof "lights" gave more even lighting during the day than
south facing windows and avoided the full glare of the summer sun. |
The
Great Harwood Commercial Company was ruined by the slump of the
20s and 30s but cotton manufacture only came to an end in 1959-60
after which the mill was used for the manufacture of clothing
(not weaving) and circular knitting. Another fire in 1973 destroyed
the weaving shed and it was demolished. |
Netherton
House is sheltered accommodation built on the site of some demolished
houses and part of the Commercial Mill site. |
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Spring or Albion Mill, Water Street.
Constructed in 1855 by David Mercer and Brothers. 200 looms in 1858, later increasing to 480, and 200 employees in 1861. Another casualty of the Cotton Famine the mill was bought in 1866 by Mercer, Brother & Co. of Britannia Mill. There were 512 looms in 1878 but after major reconstruction in 1906 these increased to 664. Limited production after 1930 saw the mill subdivided from 1935 housing various manufacturers including slipper makers, Chenille Products (Our Town 1951), knitwear manufacturers and shoe makers. |
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My
mum used to work in here.
Knitwear
and chenille vanished then in 1992 footwear manufacture came
to an end but Albion Mill and the cobbles are still used.
I
should have asked them to remove the skip first.
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Saw Mill, Britannia Street/Water Street.
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A weaving shed built 1856-7 by Moses Birtwistle
and William Brogden which had 80 employees in 1860. There were
428 looms in 1878 rising to 650 after the shed was enlarged in
1904. Closed between 1931 and 34 then again in 1941 under wartime
regulations but reopened after the war and 360 looms were running
in 1956. Weaving finally ceased at the end of 1979 and it was demolished in 2006. |
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The
Britannia Street, south wall (left) was probably its best side but
when you compare it with the Water Street, east elevation (right)
there isn't much competition.
May 2006 where the south wall should be. Albion Mill is behind the small chimney.
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Butts Mill, Delph Road.
The foundation-stone was laid 29th June 1861 for the Great Harwood Cotton Spinning and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. but was only completed in 1865 by the Great Harwood Butts Spinning Co. Ltd. Originally a spinning mill with 42,000 mule spindles in 1880 a large weaving shed, Jubilee Mill, was added in 1896-7 housing 748 looms. |
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This
is the original Butts Mill the ninth mill opened in twenty years.
Obviously a green field site compare this with the much extended
Butts Mill and
town in 1950.
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The
above advert is from "Our Town, 1951" and despite the attractive
working conditions some workers in other mills didn't consider the products
or processes "proper" weaving.
The mill was closed in 1968, 500 losing their jobs, and was demolished
in 1972.
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Park
View Mill, Queen Street.
Built by James Walmesley c1860. There were 288 looms in 1878, 432 in 1884
and 220 employees in the 1890s. Production ended in the early 1930s and
bits of the building were demolished. There was some weaving on a small
scale around 1950 but this was short lived and the mill has since been
totally demolished.
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Wellington
Mill, Queen Street.
Built c1863 by Robert Smith and was known as "Bottom Mill". 592 looms in
1885. After suffering stoppages during the 1930s the mill was bought by
the Metropolitan Leather Co. LTD when it was forced to relocate after
the London factory was "partially destroyed by enemy action" in 1940.
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This
was the end of mill building in the town until after the rail line arrived
in 1877. |
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