Rock Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Encyclopedia
Rock Mill was cotton spinning mill in the Waterloo district of Ashton-under-Lyne
, Greater Manchester
, in England. It was built between 1891 and 1893 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. Rock Mill was built on the site of Wilshaw Mill retaining and using the octagonal chimney. It ceased spinning cotton in the 1960s and was demolished in 1971; the site is now an Asda supermarket.
Minerva Mill
at Whitelands. The directors were Messrs Barlow, Marland, Coop, Newton, Pollitt and Pownall; they were later referred to as the Ashton syndicate. In April 1891, the syndicate registered the Rock Mill Spinning Company Ltd to build the Rock Mill.
It was built with a capital of 60,000 GBP. The syndicate went on to build Atlas Mill
, Curzon Mill
, Tudor Mill
, Cedar Mill and finally the Texas Mill
.
Construction was slow, it was not completed until August 1893. Even then only a third of its 66,000 spindles were working.
The cotton industry peaked in 1912 when it produced 8 billion yards of cloth. The great war of 1914–1918 halted the supply of raw cotton, and the British government encouraged its colonys to build mills to spin and weave cotton. The war over, Lancashire never regained its markets. In the 1920s Rock Mill joined the Atlas Mills Ltd. group, but 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. Atlas Mills Limited was taken over by the LCC in 1929. Thus, Rock Mill was one of 104 mills brought into LCC ownership, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950, where it produced 30 and 40 count mule twist. It closed in the 1960s and was used as a warehouse.
It was demolished in 1971 to make way for Ashtons first Asda supermarket.
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, in England. It was built between 1891 and 1893 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. Rock Mill was built on the site of Wilshaw Mill retaining and using the octagonal chimney. It ceased spinning cotton in the 1960s and was demolished in 1971; the site is now an Asda supermarket.
Location
Rock mill was built on the site of the former Wilshaw Mill, on the junction of Oldham Road and Wilshaw Lane. This had been an unusual site for a mill as it was not close to railways or canals. The water needed to supply the steam engine came from a reservoir formed by damming the Smallshaw Brook. The reservoir was enlarged when the new mill was builtHistory
The Minerva Spinning Company Limited was registered in 1891 to build theMinerva Mill
Minerva Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Minerva Mill was a cotton spinning mill in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. It was built between 1891 and 1892 for the Minerva Spinning Company which was later known as the Ashton Syndicate. Minerva Mill was next to the later Texas mill, at Whitelands. It ceased spinning cotton in...
at Whitelands. The directors were Messrs Barlow, Marland, Coop, Newton, Pollitt and Pownall; they were later referred to as the Ashton syndicate. In April 1891, the syndicate registered the Rock Mill Spinning Company Ltd to build the Rock Mill.
It was built with a capital of 60,000 GBP. The syndicate went on to build Atlas Mill
Atlas Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Atlas Mill was a cotton spinning mill in the Waterloo district of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in England. It was built between 1898 and 1900 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. It was last mill in Ashton cease spinning...
, Curzon Mill
Curzon Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Curzon Mill , later known as Alger Mill was a cotton spinning mill in the Hurst district of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in England. It was built between 1899 and 1902 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. It was a sister mill to the Atlas Mill. It was sold to the Alger...
, Tudor Mill
Tudor Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Tudor Mill was cotton spinning mill in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in the United Kingdom. It was built between 1901 and 1903 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. Tudor Mill was next to the Ashton Canal Warehouse at Portland Basin...
, Cedar Mill and finally the Texas Mill
Texas Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Texas Mill was a cotton spinning mill in the Whitelands district of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in England. It was built between 1905 and 1907 for the Ashton Syndicate by Sydney Stott of Oldham. It was destroyed in a massive fire on 22–23 October 1971...
.
Construction was slow, it was not completed until August 1893. Even then only a third of its 66,000 spindles were working.
The cotton industry peaked in 1912 when it produced 8 billion yards of cloth. The great war of 1914–1918 halted the supply of raw cotton, and the British government encouraged its colonys to build mills to spin and weave cotton. The war over, Lancashire never regained its markets. In the 1920s Rock Mill joined the Atlas Mills Ltd. group, but the independent mills were struggling. The Bank of England set up the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
Lancashire Cotton Corporation
The Lancashire Cotton Corporation was a company set up by the Bank of England in 1929, to rescue the Lancashire spinning industry by means of horizontal rationalisation. In merged 105 companies, ending up in 1950 with 53 operating mills. It was bought up by Courtaulds in August 1964.-Formation:By...
in 1929 to attempt to rationalise and save the industry. Atlas Mills Limited was taken over by the LCC in 1929. Thus, Rock Mill was one of 104 mills brought into LCC ownership, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950, where it produced 30 and 40 count mule twist. It closed in the 1960s and was used as a warehouse.
It was demolished in 1971 to make way for Ashtons first Asda supermarket.