Bolton Union Mill, Bolton

Bolton Union Mill

Location within Greater Manchester
Cotton
Spinning (ring mill)
Location	Bolton
Further ownership	Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930s) Courtaulds (1964)
Coordinates	53°35′00″N 2°26′15″W / 53.5834°N 2.4375°W / 53.5834; -2.4375
Construction
Floor area	15,466.00
Power
Engine maker	John Musgrave & Sons
Engine type	tandem compound engine
Valve Gear	Corliss valves
rpm	50
Flywheel diameter	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.

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.^[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 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.^[3] 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.^[2]

The mill 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.^[2]

Architecture

Power

Driven by 1200 hp tandem compound engine by John Musgrave & Sons, 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. ^[4]

Owners

• John Hebden and Son, Vernon Mills
• The Bolton Union Spinning Company Co Ltd
• Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930's-1964)
• Tootals
• Dewhurst Dent

See also

• Textile manufacturing
• Cotton Mill

Lancashire cotton Architects Stott Sidney Stott (later Sir Philip) Edward Potts Potts, Pickup & Dixon F.W. Dixon & Son Bradshaw Gass & Hope Engine makers Daniel Adamson Ashton Frost Ashworth & Parker Bateman & Sherratt Boulton & Watt Browett, Lindley & Co Buckley & Taylor Carels Frères Earnshaw & Holt Fairbairn W & J Galloway & Sons Benjamin Goodfellow Hick, Hargreaves & Co Benjamin Hick and Sons John Musgrave & Sons J & W McNaught Petrie of Rochdale William Roberts & Co of Nelson George Saxon Scott & Hodgson Urmson & Thompson Yates of Blackburn Yates & Thom Willans & Robinson J & E Wood Woolstenhulmes & Rye Machinery makers Brooks & Doxey Butterworth & Dickinson Curtis, Parr & Walton Dobson & Barlow John Hetherington & Sons Joseph Hibbert John Pilling and Sons Harling & Todd Howard & Bullough Geo. Hattersley Asa Lees Mather & Platt Parr, Curtis & Madely British Northrop Loom Co Pemberton & Co Platt Brothers Taylor, Lang & Co Textile Machinery Makers Tweedales & Smalley T. Wildman & Sons Ancillary firms Oldham Limiteds Fine Spinners and Doublers Lancashire Cotton Corporation Combined Egyptian Mills Ltd Courtaulds Bagley & Wright Industrial processes Textile manufacturing Cotton-spinning machinery Dref Friction Spinning Dandy loom Magnetic ring spinning Open end spinning Ring spinning Spinning frame Spinning jenny Spinning mule Steaming Water frame Roberts Loom Lancashire Loom Associations Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union Amalgamated Weavers' Association Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union Northern Textile and Allied Workers' Union National Union of Textile and Allied Workers United Textile Factory Workers' Association Employment practices More looms Kissing the shuttle Mule spinners' cancer Piece-rate list Lists of mills LCC mills Bolton Bury Cheshire Derbyshire Lancashire Manchester Oldham Preston Rochdale Salford Stockport Tameside Wigan Yorkshire Museums Bancroft Shed Helmshore Mills Queen Street Mill Weavers' Triangle Quarry Bank Mill, Styal

Lancashire Cotton Corporation Bury Pilot Mill, Bury Wilton Mill, Radcliffe Bolton Ainsworth Mill, Breightmet Bolton Union Mill, Bolton Century Mill, Farnworth Lancashire Coppull Mill Imperial Mill, Blackburn Mavis Mill Manchester and Salford Brunswick Mill, Ancoats May Mill, Pemberton Monton Mill, Eccles Oldham Ace Mill, Hollinwood Blackridings Mill, Oldham Dawn Mill, Shaw Fox Mill, Hollinwood Hawk Mill, Shaw Heron Mill, Hollinwood Junction Mill, Middleton Junction Kent Mill, Chadderton Laurel Mill, Middleton Junction Magnet Mill, Chadderton Majestic Mill, Waterhead Manor Mill, Chadderton Newby Mill, Shaw Orme Mill, Waterhead Regent Mill, Failsworth Royd Mill, Oldham Royton Ring Mill, Royton Rutland Mill, Shaw Textile Mill, Chadderton Trent Mill, Shaw Rochdale Arkwright Mill, Rochdale Harp Mill, Castleton Malta Mill, Middleton Mars Mill, Castleton Stockport Elder Mill, Romiley Kingston Mill, Stockport Palmer Mills, Stockport Vernon Mill, Stockport Welkin Mill, Lower Bredbury Tameside Atlas Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Cedar Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Rock Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Saxon Mill, Droylsden Stalybridge Mill, Stalybridge Texas Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Tudor Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Waterside Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne Wigan Empress Mill, Ince May Mill, Pemberton Trencherfield Mill West Yorkshire Foxsons Mill, Staincliffe Mons Mill, Todmorden

References

Bibliography

• Dunkerley, Philip (2009). "Dunkerley-Tuson Family Website, The Regent Cotton Mill, Failsworth". Retrieved 2009-01-09. 

• LCC (1951). The mills and organisation of the Lancashire Cotton Corporation Limited. Blackfriars House, Manchester: Lancashire Cotton Corporation Limited. 

• Roberts, A S (1921), "Arthur Robert's Engine List", Arthur Roberts Black Book. (One guy from Barlick-Book Transcription), retrieved 2009-01-11 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Textile mills in Greater Manchester.

• www.cottontown.org
• www.spinningtheweb.org.uk