Lancashire’s old cotton mills

[Jaydee]

Hope the link works. I thought people might enjoy these amazing local photos. They are only 50 years ago but how times have changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... SApp_Other

[TsarBomba]

Fabulous pictures.

I can only imagine the toll it had on your physical health.

[elwaclaret]

Hope the link works. I thought people might enjoy these amazing local photos. They are only 50 years ago but how times have changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... SApp_Other

Queens mill is back open I believe, featured in many Industrial Revolution documentaries, it was closed down due to lack of funding around COVID lockdown. I’m not sure if they lost some of their weaving machines to others like Helmshoreclaret and Manchester during that time but hopefully not. Ashamed to say ai have not visited for some time but recommend it to anyone interested in local history.

Albion mill is another that should be close to Clarets hearts. In the pre-history of Burnley football club it was Albion mill that introduced a football team (the latest craze) to help encourage weavers to the new shed 11 (both from Burnley and out of work Blackburn weavers). Though they had many ‘home grounds’ over the coming years (several in Worsthorne) they ended up playing on some of antold horse racing track that belonged to General Scarlet (Heavy Brigade at Crimea) that he had leased to Burnley cricket club. They left but returned the season after to make it their perminant home, calling themselves Cllader Vale, then Burnley Rovers (due to their nomadic history to that point).

[FCBurnley]

Proud to say that my mother ran 14 looms for many years. The noise in the mills was deafening and most of the weavers became expert lip readers !

[Bow]

These are incredible. They were 10 years before I was born but look like they’re from a hundred years ago.

Not sure I’d fancy working in these conditions! H&S didn’t exist back then I presume

[ElectroClaret]

Great pictures.
You can almost hear the deafening clatter of the looms as you look at the shop floor in those photos.

There's a lot of short films on the subject on
YouTube too.

[durhamclaret]

Brilliant photo’s Jaydee, thanks for sharing

[Poulton-le-Claret]

Wonderful pictures. I grew up in Harle Syke and we would regularly play football outside Queen Street Mill. I have been in the Mill many times, but wish I could have seen it during its peak years of working.

[Jaydee]

You are very welcome durhamclaret. I just love historical photos and even more so when they’re local. Such characters in them . Makes you proud of our heritage.

[ClaretLoup]

I had a summer job at Whinney Hill NORI brickworks in 1970 During Wakes Weeks we had Charlie Sutton’s job as per the photos on boiler maintenance. First off me and my pal Sam had to chip scale off the tubes inside the boiler that lasted about a week. Then we had to sweep the flues. They wanted us to do it without any masks but we said no, eventually they got us some so no more excuses, in you go.

The soot got everywhere and when we had finished, we said, reight where can we shower off? Don’t be daft lads the boiler’s not working. Anyway as a special treat they warmed up some water over an open fire they used to brew up when the hot water was off and gave us a bucket each and a scrubbing brush.

Them were the days.

[claret wizard]

Some of the equipment was probably still in use 25 years ago. Here’s sone pictures of the mills in Mumbai from the 90’s.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shekhark/s ... 046103195/.

[Steve1956]

Hope the link works. I thought people might enjoy these amazing local photos. They are only 50 years ago but how times have changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... SApp_Other

Great pictures Jaydee my mum was a weaver and the 1st picture reminded me of her so much having to shout above the noise of the weaving machines to a person stood amost next to her which eventually cost her
her hearing ...tough times working in those Mills

[Rowls]

Great photos and some fascinating stories here.

Many people in this country have grown shy of physical work and it's evidenced here. There are still people out there doing physically demanding work folks! How do you think pot holes get filled? What do you think it's like working on your feet all day in a bar or cafe? What about construction workers, warehouse operatives, cleaners, shelf stackers?

It's not the physicality of the work in mills that would have caused a toll on health; it would be the lack of provision of safety measures.

[get stuck in tracy]

Fantastic photos, You could walk past the open doors at the bottom of Rakehead and help yourself to "Picks" that were left in the doorway, ideal as a dog chew. Its funny that a lot of the ladies who worked in the sheds had a way of over enunciating there words even at home, very comical but you knew what they were saying!

[IanMcL]

I wonder how the Mills shaped Burnley's distinctive accent?

[IanMcL]

Cracking pics

[NottsClaret]

Great photos, some grim industrial injuries waiting to happen there. As with most of their generation, my grandma worked in the mill and my grandad down the mine, he always said 'hard work never killed anyone, but it made some bloody funny shapes'.

[ClaretTony]

Amazing pics at a time when I was already in my 20s although they look so old. On of my granddads worked in a mill.

[Loyalclaret]

Had some time to kill in Manchester the other week, so my wife and I visited The Science and Industry Museum (rock n roll) where they had some textiles machines set up and working
https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.or ... es-gallery

[JohnMac]

During our last term at Rosegrove School (1970) we went on a few factory visits to give an insight into the type of jobs us thickos were supposed to take up upon leaving

We went into the Weaving shed next to the Canal in Rosegrove, I can't recall the name of the long gone mill but the noise was like nothing I'd heard before and the sight of the Looms and Shuttles in action was enough to convince me never to apply for this type of work.

Hats off to anyone that worked in that Industry, even more so those who did it for life.

[mdd2]

Both my parents worked in the cotton mills in Burnley. The noise was more than deafening and no ear protection. I put my hearing loss to going into the mill to see mum after school and get 3p for a bag of chips before she came home. I remember my ears ringing (tinnitus) when I came out of the mill and I would have gone in scores of times.
Also fishing for goldfish in the lodge which provided water for the steam engine that drove the wheels to which leather straps took the motion down to the looms. Weft, thrums, floats, shuttles, picking sticks, warps, looms and some that now escape me.

[mdd2]

Hats off to anyone that worked in that Industry, even more so those who did it for life.
My Dad was born in 1908 and from 12-14 he worked in the Mill either mornings with school in the afternoon and then school in the morning and Mill in the afternoon. Aged 14 he was full time in the Mill first as a weaver and later as a "tackler" or as he put "a manipulator of machinery for the manufacture of cotton goods". In the early days he worked Monday through to Saturday lunch time He left the cotton industry in 1961 due to a so called mild stroke and worked at Mullards in Simonstone for a number of years.
I think it was in the late 1930's (1938) when the law was intorduced giving factory workers one weeks paid holiday per year.
My recollection of his working week was Mon -Friday 6-8.15, 8.45-12.30 1.30-5.30.
It was sometime in the 1950's when 2 weeks holiday with pay came in

[bfcmik]

During our last term at Rosegrove School (1970) we went on a few factory visits to give an insight into the type of jobs us thickos were supposed to take up upon leaving

We went into the Weaving shed next to the Canal in Rosegrove, I can't recall the name of the long gone mill but the noise was like nothing I'd heard before and the sight of the Looms and Shuttles in action was enough to convince me never to apply for this type of work.

Hats off to anyone that worked in that Industry, even more so those who did it for life.

If you went to your left after crossing the canal bridge the mills there were called Imperil Mills and were run at that time (1970) by John Spencers Ltd. who still have premises between The Range and B&M. At the end nearest Liverpool Rd was a company called Clayton Warp Knitting and also Taylor Diecasting (who did aluminium moulding). I worked for both those companies over the years.

[Taffy on the wing]

Both of my parents worked in the mills....Mother a weaver & Father a tackler.
I used to have to go in the mill to get a house key...noisiest, dustiest place you can imagine.
Everyone used signs or lip-reading to communicate amongst the din.

[mdd2]

Were those Mills open today Taffy there is no way the kids like you and I would be allowed onto the factory floor and no one would be working without ear protection.

[Taffy on the wing]

Were those Mills open today Taffy there is no way the kids like you and I would be allowed onto the factory floor and no one would be working without ear protection.

No kidding!...
Also it was hard to tell people apart as they were all covered head to toe in cotton lint...just a constant snow of it. Nobody wore a mask (did they exist?). No-one complained either, they were lucky to have a job.
This was in the 60's & times were tough in textiles.
My mum became a nurse but my dad was a tackler until he retired, i think he was one of the last.

[ClaretLoup]

My mum and dad were both weavers, they worked opposite shifts. 06.00 to 14.00 and 14.00 to 22.00. My mum would walk me a mile to her mill and then 15/30 minutes or so after his shift finished he would pick me up. So I got to watch my mum weave bed sheets and I knew what a tackler was, a weft carrier did and what a battery filler did when I was five years old. I also knew about warp and weft, and what a jacquard did. A great education in the University of life.

[maidenover]

Proud to say that my mother ran 14 looms for many years. The noise in the mills was deafening and most of the weavers became expert lip readers !

My Mum worked at Joshua Hoyle’s mill in Summerseat and also ran 14 looms, then later on was a Jacquard weaver which I think meant running less because of the complexity. As an 8 year old my Grandma looked after me after school, but on occasion when she couldn’t I went straight from school into the mill and helped my Mum loading Bobbins. Nobody bothered about a 8 year old walking into a mill full of moving machinery or helping on the machine for that matter. No ear protection either - a total Health and Safety nightmare! The exit from the mill was down a long ramp and through large rubber swing doors. When you got outside your head was ringing with the contrast of the relative silence. And I’d only been in for an hour or so, not an 8 hour shift….

Last time I looked the dark satanic mill of Joshua Hoyle’s had been converted to upscale flats.

[ClaretCliff]

If you like looking at mill machinery, a visit to Quarry Bank Mill nr. Styal in Cheshire is well worth a visit. They demonstrate the history of spinning and weaving, first by hand and then automated. They have carding machines, spinning machines and looms which all get fired up. The mule is particularly impressive. There a big water wheel and some steam engines. It’s National Trust so not cheap, unless you’re a member, but lots to see.
Helmshore Textile Museum is another good place to visit.

[dvalley69]

Visited Queen Street Mill up Harle Syke a few years ago, which was fascinating with a guided tour explaining the whole history of the place, and how the cotton was processed and then made into woven cloth. It is one of a kind nowadays, with it being the last surviving 19th century steam powered weaving mill in the world. A must see for anybody with connections to our town/area.

[pureclaret]

In the mid 1960s I used to go to Queen street mill to meet an Auntie at finishing time and would on occasion go in , and yes it was noisy . Relations The Sedman family livid just up from Queen street in a cottage 2 /3 doors down from Briercliffe bowling green.

I went on to serve my time in printing industry that was noisy but not the same as weaving machines

[HB Claret]

My dad worked at Melfar until 1968 - not sure if it closed down then but he was offered a job in Whitstable, Kent weaving products that were used in paper making. That’s why, at the age of 6 I became an exile ! Currently onboard Queen Victoria on a grand South American voyage and was chatting to another Claret about my dad’s workplace - abd then it appears on this site ! Thanks for posting as I was able to share with another Claret.

[JohnMac]

If you went to your left after crossing the canal bridge the mills there were called Imperil Mills and were run at that time (1970) by John Spencers Ltd. who still have premises between The Range and B&M. At the end nearest Liverpool Rd was a company called Clayton Warp Knitting and also Taylor Diecasting (who did aluminium moulding). I worked for both those companies over the years.

That was it, John Spencers Ltd

[JohnMac]

If you went to your left after crossing the canal bridge the mills there were called Imperil Mills and were run at that time (1970) by John Spencers Ltd. who still have premises between The Range and B&M. At the end nearest Liverpool Rd was a company called Clayton Warp Knitting and also Taylor Diecasting (who did aluminium moulding). I worked for both those companies over the years.

Mt Brother worked a Taylors and had an accident when a bit of water went under the molten surface causing a blowout of metal. The roof was repaired long before his leg!

[Targetman]

My dad worked at Melfar until 1968 - not sure if it closed down then but he was offered a job in Whitstable, Kent weaving products that were used in paper making. That’s why, at the age of 6 I became an exile ! Currently onboard Queen Victoria on a grand South American voyage and was chatting to another Claret about my dad’s workplace - abd then it appears on this site ! Thanks for posting as I was able to share with another Claret.

Was that Claret you were talking to called Russell?

[HB Claret]

Was that Claret you were talking to called Russell?

No it was an older fella called Steven but I think I’ve spoken to Russell as well.

[Targetman]

No it was an older fella called Steven but I think I’ve spoken to Russell as well.

Aah, i know Russell is on that ship.

[Cajun]

Fabulous photos. Have traced family back on my dad's side into the 1850s in Burnley, most of whom were listed as being weavers or loom maintenance, but no idea which mills. Fascinating stuff.

[turfytopper]

Hope the link works. I thought people might enjoy these amazing local photos. They are only 50 years ago but how times have changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... SApp_Other

Shuttles, Steam and Soot
Today (6th March) as my birthday treat, we took the train up to London to see the exhibition of Daniel Meadows fantastic photographs and stories of the weaving sheds of East Lancs - 1975-77.

Daniel was employed by Pendle Borough Council as "photographer in residence". Thankfully the council back then had the forsight to record this now bygone age.

The exhibition is currently at The Four Corners Photography, Roman Road, Bethnall Green, London.

[Gerry Hattrick]

Memories, memories.

Photos 7 and 9 showing the Proctor’s mechanical stokers, brought back many of ‘em.
I served my engineering apprenticeship at James Proctor Ltd between 1954 and 1961. Returned after national service as a plant layout darughtsman and as such visited dozens and dozens of boilerhouses, mostly in the Lancashire and Yorkshire weaving and spinnng mills to ‘measure up’ for both stokers and the coal elevators and conveyors to feed them. I still have copies of some of the drawings I produced after all these years

Most mills , like Queen Street, had only one or two twin flue Lancashire boilers and a couple of mill engines,- kept beautifuuly clean and pollshed,- to provide the power for the looms, but I’ve been to a few with eight or ten boilers and thousands of looms. If you’ve experienced the noise of the Queen Street looms running, imagine what being in one of them was like like!

Thanks for the brilliant look into the past Jaydee. Much appreciated.

[ecc]

Proud to say that my mother ran 14 looms for many years. The noise in the mills was deafening and most of the weavers became expert lip readers !

Was just thinking that. My grandma worked in a mill and when we watched football on TV she would comment on what players said to referees.

[Wile E Coyote]

Great clips, hats off to the phenomenal engineering skills, work ethic and genius men who designed these incredible machines.
The workers who created the end products, and those that maintained the complex equipment were staggeringly hard working and inventive.
Wonderful stuff to see.

[Roger1960]

Queens mill is back open I believe, featured in many Industrial Revolution documentaries, it was closed down due to lack of funding around COVID lockdown. I’m not sure if they lost some of their weaving machines to others like Helmshoreclaret and Manchester during that time but hopefully not. Ashamed to say ai have not visited for some time but recommend it to anyone interested in local history.

Albion mill is another that should be close to Clarets hearts. In the pre-history of Burnley football club it was Albion mill that introduced a football team (the latest craze) to help encourage weavers to the new shed 11 (both from Burnley and out of work Blackburn weavers). Though they had many ‘home grounds’ over the coming years (several in Worsthorne) they ended up playing on some of antold horse racing track that belonged to General Scarlet (Heavy Brigade at Crimea) that he had leased to Burnley cricket club. They left but returned the season after to make it their perminant home, calling themselves Cllader Vale, then Burnley Rovers (due to their nomadic history to that point).

Queen street mill re-opens for the summer on Wednesday 2nd April, from 12-4pm it offers two guided walks a day . The exciting news is that for the first time since before covid the boiler and engine should be able to be run at times this summer after the team have spent many months cleaning and repairing them.its only £5 for adults and that includes the tour. I volunteer there and it’s a really interesting visit for anyone with family history in the weaving industry

[No Ney Never]

I remember Maggie Thatcher visiting Th'Albion mill on Shakespeare street in Padiham on her campaign trail to become prime minister, shut down not long after she got in!
I used to be a regular in there in the 70's, nobody mind, they thought I was one of the workers son. I knew most of them, but none were related to me. Never in my life since have I been amongst such honest people.

[No Ney Never]

It brings a tear to my eyes when I think: is our pursuit of wealth worth sacrificing the values we held so dear as a society?

[GetIntoEm]

Memories, memories.

Photos 7 and 9 showing the Proctor’s mechanical stokers, brought back many of ‘em.
I served my engineering apprenticeship at James Proctor Ltd between 1954 and 1961. Returned after national service as a plant layout darughtsman and as such visited dozens and dozens of boilerhouses, mostly in the Lancashire and Yorkshire weaving and spinnng mills to ‘measure up’ for both stokers and the coal elevators and conveyors to feed them. I still have copies of some of the drawings I produced after all these years

Most mills , like Queen Street, had only one or two twin flue Lancashire boilers and a couple of mill engines,- kept beautifuuly clean and pollshed,- to provide the power for the looms, but I’ve been to a few with eight or ten boilers and thousands of looms. If you’ve experienced the noise of the Queen Street looms running, imagine what being in one of them was like like!

Thanks for the brilliant look into the past Jaydee. Much appreciated.

Proctors were still making chain grate stokers into the early 2000s, made mainly in Malaysia though with some assembly in Burnley still before closing.

[Dark Cloud]

My grandma worked in a cotton mill for years and she was a brilliant exponent of the "me mo" due to the constant crashing noise. She also caught anthrax when she was quite young from the raw, untreated cotton which was not unusual I believe.