Rutland Mill

Last updated

Rutland Mill
Rutland Mill, Shaw 0018.png
The mill before 1951
Greater Manchester UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Greater Manchester
Cotton
Spinning (ring mill)
LocationLinney Lane, Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England
OwnerRutland Mill Ltd.
Further ownership
Coordinates 53°34′51″N2°05′15″W / 53.5808°N 2.0876°W / 53.5808; -2.0876 Coordinates: 53°34′51″N2°05′15″W / 53.5808°N 2.0876°W / 53.5808; -2.0876
Construction
Completed1907
Design team
Architect F.W. Dixon & Son
Power
Date1908
alt:1913
Engine maker George Saxon & Co
Engine typecross compound engine
Valve Gear Corliss valves
Cylinder diameter and throw27 ½" HP, 58"LP X 5ft stroke
29 ½" HP, 63"LP X 5ft stroke
Installed horse power (ihp)1700hp
Flywheel diameter26ft
Transmission typerope
No. of ropes35
Boiler configuration
Pressure160psi
Equipment
Mule Frames20,000 spindles
Ring Frames path96,000 spindles
References
[1]

Rutland Mill was a cotton spinning mill on Linney Lane, in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built by F. W. Dixon & Son in 1907 for the Rutland Mill Co. Ltd. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1935. [2] By 1964, it was in the Courtaulds Group. In the late 1980s, as Courtaulds moved operations to other parts of the world, the mill was bought by Littlewoods who demolished it and replaced it with a new automated storage warehouse. [3]

Contents

Location

Shaw and Crompton is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. [4] It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the Pennines, 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north of Oldham, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southeast of Rochdale, and 8.7 miles (14 km) to the northeast of the city of Manchester. It is regularly referred to as Shaw. It is not served by any canal but a rail service was provided by the Oldham Loop Line, built in 1863 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Rutland Mill was in the centre of Shaw close to the railway and the Milnrow Road.

History

The manufacture of textiles in Crompton can be traced back to 1474, when a lease dated from that year outlines that the occupant of Crompton Park had spinning wheels, cards and looms, all of which suggest that cloth was being produced in large quantities. [5] The upland geography of the area constrained the output of crop growing, and so prior to industrialisation the area was used for grazing sheep, which provided the raw material for a local woollen weaving trade. Until the mid-18th century, Crompton's textile sector had been closely linked with that of Rochdale and Saddleworth in the north and east; it was a woollen manufacturing district. However, as the demand for cotton goods increased, Crompton mirrored developments in Oldham and Manchester in the south and southwest, importing raw cotton and making cotton cloth. [6]

Oldham rose to prominence during the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the first ever industrialised towns, rapidly becoming "one of the most important centres of cotton and textile industries in England", [7] spinning Oldham counts, the coarser counts of cotton.

It was in the second half of the 19th century, that Oldham became the world centre for spinning cotton yarn. [8] This was due in a large part to the formation of limited liability companies known as Oldham Limiteds. In 1851, over 30% of Oldham's population was employed within the textile sector, compared to 5% across Great Britain. [9] At its zenith, it was the most productive cotton spinning mill town in the world. [10] [11] When suitable land in Oldham had become scarce in the 1860s, there was a mill building boom in Shaw and Crompton, giving rise to the area as major mill town. [12] The local townscape became dominated by distinctive rectangular brick-built mills, and its former villages and hamlets agglomerated as a single town around these factories. [13] Shaw and Crompton railway station and a goods yard was opened in 1863, allowing improved transportation of textile goods and raw materials to and from the township. [14] Neighbouring Royton had begun to encroach upon southern boundary, forming a continuous urban cotton-spinning district with Oldham.

By 1871 Oldham had more spindles than any country in the world except the United States, and in 1909, was spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined. [15] The demand for cheap cotton goods from this area prompted the flotation of cotton spinning companies; the investment was followed by the construction of 12 new cotton mills from 1870 and 1900. [16]

Rutland mill opened in 1907. By 1911 there were 16.4 million spindles in Oldham, compared with a total of 58 million in the United Kingdom and 143.5 million in the world; in 1928, with the construction of the UK's largest textile factory Oldham reached its manufacturing zenith. [8] At its peak, there were over 360 mills, operating night and day; [17] [18]

In the post-war economic boom of 1919–20, investors did not have the time to build new mills and so were prepared to pay vastly inflated sums for shares in existing companies. Many mills were refloated at valuations of up to £500,000 (equivalent to $23,150,000in 2019 [19] ), or five times what they had cost to build before the war, [20] resulting in the town being nicknamed "The Golden City" as the scramble for shares intensified. [20] Because of this highly profitable share dealing, it was reported in the national press that Shaw and Crompton had more millionaires per capita than any other town in the world. [12] [21] [22] The number of cotton mills in the township peaked at 36 in 1920. [22]

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. [23] Rutland Mill in the late 1980s, as Courtaulds moved operations to other parts of the world, the mill was bought by Littlewoods. [3] Under the Littlewoods name it was run as warehousing for a short time before it was demolished and replaced by a new automated storage warehouse. [24]

Architecture

This was a five-storey F.W. Dixon & Son mill, built in 1907, with 24 bays.

Power

It was driven by a 1700 hp cross compound engine by George Saxon & Co of Openshaw, built in 1908, but altered in 1913. It had a 26-foot flywheel with 35 ropes, operating at 67 rpm then 68 rpm. It had 27 ½" HP, 58"LP cylinders X 5ft stroke. This was altered in 1913, to a 29 ½" HP, and 63"LP, this raised the speed to 68rpm. [25]

Equipment

In 1950, in LCC ownership it had both 96,000 ring and 20,000 mule spindles.

Owners

See also

Related Research Articles

Regent Mill, Failsworth Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Regent Mill, Failsworth is a Grade II listed former cotton spinning mill in Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was built by the Regent Mill Co Ltd. in 1905, and purchased by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1930. It was taken over by the Courtaulds Group in 1964. On ceasing textile production it was occupied by Pifco Ltd, and then by Salton Europe Ltd who now occupy this site. It was driven by an 1800 hp twin tandem compound engine by Buckley & Taylor. It became a ring mill with 60,000 spindles in 1915, all provided by Platt Brothers.

Trent Mill Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Trent Mill was a cotton spinning mill on Duchess Street in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built by F.W. Dixon & Son in 1908. It closed and was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1929 reopened in 1938 and closed again in 1962, and was demolished in 1967.

Magnet Mill, Chadderton Cotton Mill in Greater Manchester, England

Magnet Mill, Chadderton is a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built by the Magnet Mill Ltd. in 1902, but purchased by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1935. It was later taken over by the Courtaulds Group. Ceasing textile production in December 1966, it was demolished soon after. A suburban residential estate now occupies this site. It was driven by a 2200 hp twin tandem compound engine by George Saxon & Co, Openshaw, 1903. It had a 27–foot flywheel with 35 ropes, operating at 64½ rpm.

Hawk Mill, Shaw Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Hawk Mill, Shaw was a cotton spinning mill in Shaw, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1908. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1931 and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. The mill closed in 1967, and was demolished in 1991.

Ace Mill, Hollinwood

Ace Mill is a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built as Gorse No. 2 Mill, in 1914 and cotton was first spun in 1919 by the Ace Mill Ltd, who renamed the mill. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production ended in 1967.

Blackridings Mill, Oldham Cotton waste mill in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

Blackridings Mill, Oldham was a cotton waste mill lying off Block Lane in the Werneth area of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built before 1861 and ceased spinning between 1875 and 1880. It was then used for flock manufacture and processing cotton waste. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production ended in 1973 and the building was demolished in 1975.

Dawn Mill, Shaw Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Dawn Mill, Shaw was a cotton spinning mill in Shaw and Crompton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built on the site of Shaw Mill at the "dawn" of the 20th century. Dawn Mill was equipped with mule weft spindles in 1950. It was powered by Engines named Venus and Mars, 1800 hp twin tandem compound engine by George Saxon of Manchester. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. It was sold again and used by distribution company DTS Logistics for storing and distributing clothing. It was demolished in 2006 to make way for an Asda supermarket.

Fox Mill, Hollinwood

Fox Mill, Hollinwood is a cotton spinning mill in Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964.

Royton Ring Mill, Royton Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Royton Ring Mill was a cotton mill in Royton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1908 and extended in 1912. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1935 and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1966. It was extended again in 1969 and used for other purposes. It has now been demolished, the street has been renamed and houses replace it.

Kent Mill, Chadderton

Kent Mill, Chadderton was a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1908 It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1991 and it was demolished in 1994.

Manor Mill, Chadderton Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Manor Mill, Chadderton is an early twentieth century, five storey cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1906. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1990.

Heron Mill, Hollinwood Cotton spinning mill in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England

Heron Mill is a cotton spinning mill in Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was designed by architect P. S. Stott and was constructed in 1905 by the Heron Mill Company Ltd next to Durban Mill. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production ended in 1960, and it was used by Courtaulds for offices, warehousing, and some experimental fabric manufacture. Courtaulds occupation ended in 1994.

Textile Mill, Chadderton Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Textile Mill, Chadderton was a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1882 by Potts, Pickup & Dixon for the Textile Mill Co. Ltd, and closed in 1927. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the late 1940s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964 and used for cotton waste sorting. Half of the building was destroyed by fire on 11 July 1950, but the remaining section continued to be used for cotton waste sorting by W. H. Holt and Son until 1988.

Newby Mill, Shaw Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Elm Mill, is a four-storey cotton spinning mill in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1890 for the Elm Spinning Company Ltd., and was called Elm Mill until it closed in 1928. It was revived by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1929 and called Newby Mill. LCC and all their assets passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production at Newby finished in 1970, and it was used for warehousing. Subsequently, now named Shaw No 3 Mill, it became part of Littlewood's Shaw National Distribution Centre.

Royd Mill, Oldham Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Royd Mill, Oldham was a cotton spinning mill in Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1907, and extended in 1912 and 1924. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1981. The mill was demolished in 2015 to make way for a "DifRent" housing scheme.

Majestic Mill, Waterhead Cotton spinning mill in Waterhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester

Majestic Mill, Waterhead is a cotton spinning mill in Waterhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1903. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964, converted to ring spinning in 1971. Production finished in 1982. Still standing in other use.

Laurel Mill, Middleton Junction Former cotton mill in Manchester, England

Laurel Mill was a cotton spinning mill in the Mills Hill/Middleton Junction area of Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

Junction Mill, Middleton Junction Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Junction Mill, Middleton Junction is a cotton spinning mill at Middleton junction, Chadderton in Greater Manchester alongside the Rochdale Canal.

Thorp Mill, Royton Cotton mill in Lancashire, England

Thorp Mill, Royton was built by Ralph Taylor at Thorp Clough in 1764. This is reputed to be the first cotton mill in Lancashire to be powered by water. Ralph Taylor bought three existing cottages which he converted into a mill. This was a carding mill, and was powered by a water wheel driven from Thorp Clough, a tributary of the River Irk. The mill closed in 1788 when the mill and contents were advertised for sale by the then owner James Taylor. It was advertised again in 1792, and the buildings reverted to cottages, and were subsequently demolished. The mill is marked by a blue plaque.

References

  1. ↑ LCC 1951
  2. ↑ The Times, 10 January 1936, p. 18
  3. 1 2 Hunt & Stott 1988
  4. ↑ Greater Manchester Gazetteer, Greater Manchester County Record Office, Places names – S, archived from the original on 18 July 2011, retrieved 20 June 2007
  5. ↑ Ballard 1986 , p. 66.
  6. ↑ Ballard 1986 , p. 67.
  7. ↑ Oldham County Borough Council (1973), Official Handbook of Oldham
  8. 1 2 McNeil, R.; Nevell, M. (2000), A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Greater Manchester, Association for Industrial Archaeology, ISBN   0-9528930-3-7
  9. ↑ Foster, John (1974), Class Struggle and the Industrial Revolution – Early industrial capitalism in three English towns, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN   978-0-297-76681-0
  10. ↑ Gurr & Hunt 1998 , pp. 1–5.
  11. ↑ NW Cotton Towns Learning Journey, spinningtheweb.org.uk, retrieved 14 September 2007
  12. 1 2 Aspin 1981 , p. 18.
  13. ↑ Sellers 1991 , p. 47.
  14. ↑ Stott 1996 , p. 56.
  15. ↑ Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (2001), Contaminated Land Strategy 2001 (PDF), oldham.gov.uk, p. 16, archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008, retrieved 11 March 2008
  16. ↑ Ballard 1986 , p. 71.
  17. ↑ Visit Oldham – The History of Oldham, visitoldham.co.uk, archived from the original on 6 August 2007, retrieved 16 September 2007
  18. ↑ Spinning The Web – Oldham, spinningtheweb.org.uk, retrieved 28 June 2006
  19. ↑ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  20. 1 2 Hunt & Stott 1988
  21. ↑ Stott 1996 , p. 8.
  22. 1 2 Manchester City Council, Oldham Towns; Shaw, spinningtheweb.org.uk, retrieved 7 December 2006
  23. ↑ Dunkerley 2009
  24. ↑ Gurr & Hunt 1998 , p. 49
  25. ↑ Roberts 1921

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.