List of mills in Saddleworth
This list of mills in Saddleworth, lists textile factories that have existed in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, England.
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England.[1] It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others. Saddleworth lies to the east of the large town of Oldham.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, for centuries Saddleworth was a centre of woollen cloth production in the domestic system. For centuries Saddleworth was linked, ecclesiastically, with the parish of Rochdale though a civil parish in the West Riding of Yorkshire, so was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived.[2] Even then it had an Oldham postal address. Following the Industrial Revolution, Saddleworth became a centre for cotton spinning and weaving.
The former Saddleworth Urban District was the only part of the West Riding to have been amalgamated into Greater Manchester in 1974.
 |
| Name | Architect | Location | Built | Demolished | Served (Years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion | Smithy Lane, Uppermill 53°32′55″N 2°00′14″W / 53.548481°N 2.003815°W | c.1854 | Standing | ||
| Notes: Converted to apartments. [3] | |||||
| Alexandra | Uppermill 53°32′47″N 2°00′22″W / 53.5463°N 2.0062°W | Standing | |||
 |
Notes: Alexandra Mill Uppermill was built in 1860 by flannel manufacturers J.Bradbury & Co. This four-storey stone built mill has had many uses over the years. In the mid 1980s it was a craft centre which was divided into small units. Today the mill on the banks of the River Tame has been converted into stylish living apartments. For reference, a 2-bedroom fourth floor flat was on the market for £199,950 in March 2009.[citation needed] | ||||
| Bailey | Delph New Road, Delph 53°33′40″N 2°01′24″W / 53.5610°N 2.0233°W | 2016 | |||
 |
Notes: Bailey Mill closed down in 1996.
Since that time it has remained empty and its future is uncertain. The old Delph branch line (locally known as The Delph Donkey) once ran along the front of the mill in the picture with the last passenger train running on Saturday 30 April 1955. The old track bed is now a popular recreational route to Dobcross and Uppermill. Although the railway infrastructure has mostly been removed, the architecture of the bridges, walls and buttresses remains. Gutted by fire and collapsed on 14 June 2016.[4][5] |
||||
| Bentfield | Chew Valley Road, Greenfield 53°32′03″N 2°00′19″W / 53.534046°N 2.005194°W | 1868 | 1979 | 111 | |
| Notes: Built originally at as a wollen mill circa 1790 but rebuilt as a Cotton Mill by Robinson Brothers in 1868. It reverted to wool in 1892. Chew Brook Drive and its housing is built on the site.[6] [3] | |||||
| Brookside | Grotton Hollow, Grotton 53°32′20″N 2°03′14″W / 53.538773°N 2.053959°W | 1855 | 1970 | 73 | |
| Notes: After being partly demolished in 1930 it became apparent there was a market for a heated swimming pool after locals kept using the mill lodge for bathing. This ceased after the outbreak of World War II. The buildings were converted for warehouse before being fully demolished for housing. [7] | |||||
| Brownhill Bridge | Dobcross New Road | Standing | |||
| 1309426Notes: A three storey, four bay water-powered woollen scribbling mill from 1772 | |||||
| Damhead | Uppermill | ||||
| Notes: see Willow Bank Mill | |||||
| Lumb Mill | Huddersfield Road, Delph | ||||
| Notes: Built as a woolen mill, later used as a calico printworks. During WWII became an Admiralty Victualling Stores. Purchased by Compoflex in the mid 1960s, a manufacturer of flexible hoses for the chemical industry. | |||||
| Oak View | Manchester Road, Greenfield 53°31′59″N 2°00′32″W / 53.5331°N 2.0088°W | Standing | |||
.jpg) |
Notes: | ||||
| Shore | Delph 53°34′05″N 2°01′21″W / 53.568094°N 2.022581°W | 1780s | Standing | ||
| 1067445Notes: Stone built water- powered woollen scribbling mill of 1788 beside the River Tame. Converted to residential use. Wheel and leat still survive. | |||||
| Victoria | Uppermill 53°32′47″N 2°00′29″W / 53.5465°N 2.0081°W | Demolished | |||
| Notes: Now houses the Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery in the remaining outbuilding. | |||||
| Willow Bank | Station Road, Uppermill, 53°32′55″N 2°00′14″W / 53.5485°N 2.0039°W | Standing | |||
References
[edit]- "1891 Cotton Mills in Oldham". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Places names – S. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^ Hardy, Clive (2000). Greater Manchester: Photographic Memories. Francis Frith Collection. p. 60. ISBN 1-85937-108-6.
Though within the parish of Rochdale, Saddleworth lay within the extreme south-west of the West Riding of Yorkshire and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived
- ^ a b Gurr & Hunt 1998, p. 48
- ^ "Row over plan to demolish historic mill". Oldham Chronicle. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "Fire crews remain at Oldham mill which was devastated by huge blaze". Manchester Evening News. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "Layered map of Greenfield". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ Gurr & Hunt 1998, p. 55
Bibliography
[edit]- Gurr, Duncan; Hunt, Julian (1998). The Cotton Mills of Oldham. Oldham Education & Leisure. ISBN 0-902809-46-6. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
