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Shown within Greater Manchester
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|---|---|
| Cotton | |
| Spinning (ring mill) | |
| Architectural style | Fireproof |
| Location | Ancoats, Manchester |
| Serving canal | Ashton Canal |
| Henry Bannerman | |
| Further ownership | Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930s) |
| Courtaulds (1964) | |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1840s1840 |
| Design team | |
| Architect | David Bellhouse |
| Structural engineer | ?William Fairbairn |
| Power | |
| Engine Type | Beam then horizontal then electric |
| Equipment | |
| Mule Frames | 77000 (1850s) |
| References | |
| [1] | |
Brunswick Mill, Ancoats is a cotton spinning mill in Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester. It was built around 1840, part of a group of mills built along the Ashton Canal, and at that time it was one of the countries largest mills. It was built round a quadrangle, a seven-storey block facing the canal.[2] It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1967.
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Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre. Historically a part of Lancashire, Ancoats became one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution, and has been called "the world's first industrial suburb".[3] For many years, from the late 18th century onwards, Ancoats was a thriving industrial district. From 1798 has been served by two canals, the Rochdale Canal and the Ashton Canal facilitating the movement of cotton, coal and finished goods. All of Manchester's major railway stations were on the boundaries of Ancoats, Ancoats station on the Midland Railway, Ducie Street railway station and Manchester London Road railway station on the Great Central Railway, Cheshire Lines Committee, Oldham Road railway station and Victoria Station on the Manchester and Leeds Railway, Exchange station on the London and North Western Railway.
Survey work for the Rochdale Canal was carried out by James Brindley in 1765. The knowledge that its construction would make the transport of raw materials and finished goods more convenient, gave industrialists the confidence to build their cotton mills. The first mills were built in Ancoats as early as 1790. In 1792 commissioners were established for the improvement of the township of Manchester which included Ancoats. Towards the end of the 18th century steam power was first used to power the cotton mills. Some of the earliest mills of this period were Murray's Mills, which were established next to the Rochdale canal on Union Street (now Redhill Street) off Great Ancoats Street, by Adam and George Murray in 1798. Later, they became known as Ancoats Mills when they were operated by McConnel & Company Ltd. The streets of Ancoats were also laid out during the latter part of the 18th century, with little development taking place other than small houses and shops along Great Ancoats Street and Oldham Road. The Ashton Canal was linked to the Rochdale Canal at the Piccadilly Basin in 1798.
From the opening of these canal, development of mills continued on a much larger scale. Mills in Ancoats included, Victoria Mills, Wellington Mill, Brunswick Mill, India Mills, Dolton Mills, Lonsdale Mills, Phoenix Mill, Lloydsfield Mill and Sedgewick Mill, Decker Mill (owned by the Murray brothers), New Mill, Beehive Mill, Little Mill, Paragon Mill, Royal Mill and Pin Mill.
Brunswick Mill was built in around 1840 in one phase.[2] The main seven-storey block facing the Ashton Canal was used for spinning. The preparation was done on the second floor and the self-acting mules with 400 spindles were arranged transversely on the floors above. The wings contained some spinning and ancillary processes like winding. The mill is of fireproof construction and was built by David Bellhouse, but it is suspected that William Fairbairn was involved in the design. Is was powered by a large double beam engine.[2]
Late in the century, Henry Bannermann of Stalybridge took over the mill. The beam engine was replaced by a horizontal engine, and rope drives were fitted. New mules were installed, this time longitudinally. In 1909, two new towers were constructed and electric motors installed, they were connected by a transformer to the Manchester Corporation Electricity mains. This was the first mill to be converted to electric in Manchester.[2]
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 coloniess 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.[4] Brunswick Mill, Ancoats was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived until 1950.
LCC replaced the mules with ring frames, which required the floors to be strengthened, these operated till the mid-1960s.[2] In 2008 it was still in its original condition. It is owned by Maryland Securities. It houses two textile businesses, Dreamtex and Halpern, a furniture warehouse, Peak Pine Furniture, and rehearsal rooms used by musicians and bands in Greater Manchester. The rehearsal rooms were started by Mcrmusicrooms.com. In 2008, Extraordinary Rendition Manchester Musicians Collective aka EXR Music Services of[5] moved in bringing the first pay-per-session rooms to the mill. The mill is also now home to Manchester Dub Group Black Star Dub Collective, who write heavy dubs inspired by their surroundings in Ancoats.
Brunswick Mill, Bradford Road alongside the Ashton Canal,was a seven-storey mill with 35 loading bays facing directly onto the canal, with a smaller three 3/4-story block of warehouses and offices backing onto Bradford Road.
The Brunswick Mill was one of the largest in Britain at that time and by the 1850s held some 276 carding machines, and 77,000 mule spindles,[6] 20 drawing frames, fifty slubbing frames and eighty one roving frames.[7]
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