Thorp Mill, Royton

Last updated

Thorp Mill
Infant River Irk - geograph.org.uk - 84948.jpg
Landscape around Royton, showing the River Irk
Greater Manchester UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Greater Manchester
Cotton
Carding
LocationThorp, Royton, Lancashire, England
OwnerRalph Taylor
Further ownership
  • James Taylor (before 1788)
Coordinates 53°33′58″N2°08′09″W / 53.5660°N 2.1358°W / 53.5660; -2.1358
Construction
Completed1764 (Conversion from cottages)
DemolishedReverted to cottages before 1800
Carding EquipmentYes
References
[1]

Thorp Mill, Royton was built by Ralph Taylor at Thorp Clough in 1764. [2] [3] [4] 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.

Thorp itself is higher up the clough and is the oldest hamlet in Royton, Lancashire.

The construction of more mills followed, which initiated a process of urbanisation and socioeconomic transformation in the region; the population moved away from farming, adopting employment in the factory system. [5] The introduction of which led to a tenfold increase of Royton's population in less than a century; from 260 in 1714 to 2,719 in 1810. [5] The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution facilitated a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, and by the mid-19th century Royton had emerged as a mill town.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royton</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Oldham, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Rochdale and 8 miles (12.9 km) northeast of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regent Mill, Failsworth</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Mill</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutland Mill</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawk Mill, Shaw</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ace Mill, Hollinwood</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackridings Mill, Oldham</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Mill, Shaw</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Mill</span>

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royton Ring Mill, Royton</span> 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 have replaced it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Mill, Chadderton</span> Cotton spinning mill in England

Kent Mill, Chadderton was a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1908 for the Kent Mill Co. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1938 and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1991 and it was demolished in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manor Mill, Chadderton</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heron Mill, Hollinwood</span> 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 with the Andrew Design Procurement further holding the site until 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile Mill, Chadderton</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newby Mill, Shaw</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Elm Mill, was 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, named Shaw No 3 Mill, it became part of Littlewood's Shaw National Distribution Centre. It was demolished to make way for housing in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royd Mill, Oldham</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orme Mill, Waterhead</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Orme Mill, Waterhead is a cotton spinning mill in Waterhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1908. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and production finished in 1960. The mill was passed on to Ferranti in 1964, and is now in multiple usage.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Mill, Middleton Junction</span> 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.

References

Notes
  1. Stott 1994
  2. Oldham Council, Oldham's Economic Profile - Innovation and Technology, oldham.gov.uk, archived from the original on 13 January 2007, retrieved 20 July 2008
  3. Manchester City Council, Oldham Towns; Royton, spinningtheweb.org.uk, archived from the original on 14 March 2007, retrieved 5 January 2007
  4. Stott 1994 , p. 10.
  5. 1 2 Stott 1994 , p. 6.
Bibliography