Bolton Union Mill, Bolton

Bolton Union Mill
Shown within Greater Manchester
Cotton
Spinning (ring mill)
Location Bolton
Further ownership Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930s)
Courtaulds (1964)
Construction
Floor area 15,466.00
Power
Construction Firm J Musgrave
Engine Type tandem compound engine
Valve Gear Corliss valves
rpm 50
Diameter of Flywheel 32ft
No, of Ropes. 28
Equipment
Mule Frames 40's-50's counts
References
[1]

Bolton Union Mill, Bolton was a cotton spinning mill in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1875 and 1880. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and brought back into production. Subsequestly it passed to Tootalls and Dewhurst Dent in 1964. Production finished in 1967.

Contents

Location

Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England.[2] Historically a part of Lancashire, Bolton originated as a small settlement in the moorland known as Bolton le Moors. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the administrative centre. The town of Bolton has a population of 139,403,[3] whilst the wider metropolitan borough has a population of 262,400.[4]

History

Bolton was a mill town; textiles have been produced in Bolton since Flemish weavers settled in the area during the 15th century, developing a wool and cotton weaving tradition. The urbanisation and development of Bolton largely coincided with the introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. It was a boomtown of the 19th century and at its zenith, in 1929, its 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dying works made it one of the largest and most productive centres of cotton spinning in the world.

No1 Mill Built was built in 1875, and No2 Mill was built in 1880. a further site was operated from 1884 by John Hebden and Son, Vernon Mills. The Bolton Union Spinning Company Co Ltd was constituted in 1874 and was operating the mills in 1900. Mill No3 was built in 1902 - 1905. It is not recorded when production stopped.[5]

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.[6] Bolton Union Mill, Bolton was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950. LLC received permission to re-open the mills in 1946 but in 1961 the mills were bought by Barlow & Jones and Mill No1 demolished. In 1976 the other mills were closed by Tootals Ltd. In 1985 No1 Mill site was landscaped for use as playing fields and No2 Mill was used by Dewhurst Dent Holdings Ltd, G & R Dewhurst (CMT) Curtains Ltd, Dewhurst Printing Company.[5]

The Mmll is to be demolished (2008) and replaced with apartments, the reason given by the council is the mill no longer reflects the image of the surrounding area.[5]

Architecture

Power

Driven by 1200 hp tandem compound engine by J Musgrave,operating at 100psi. It had a 32-foot flywheel with 28 ropes, operated at 50rpm. The cylinders, 28"HP, 52"LP had a 6-foot stroke. The air pump was driven from the crosshead. [7]

Equipment

Later extensions

Usage

Owners

Tenants

Notable events/media

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links