Welkin Mill, Lower Bredbury
Encyclopedia
Welkin Mill, Lower Bredbury is a cotton spinning mill
in Lower Bredbury/Portwood, Stockport
, Greater Manchester
. It was built in the early years of the 20th century for ring spinning. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation
in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds
in 1964. Production finished in 1967.
, in Greater Manchester
, England
, located 7.9 miles (12.7 km) south east of Manchester
, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of Stockport
and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south west of Hyde
.
boom. The first mill to be Financed by that method was Vernon Mill
.
Welkin was a ring mill built in the early 20th century producing 40's to 50's.
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. Welkin Mill, Lower Bredbury was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950. Ring mill producing 40's to 50's. Housing Buckleys printers, until the firm collapsed in October 2008. It was sold on the 12 March 2009 to the Sterling Property Company for £700,000. It will be marketed, either as a whole or sub-divided, for commercial storage and warehousing rental market.
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in Lower Bredbury/Portwood, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, 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...
. It was built in the early years of the 20th century for ring spinning. It was taken over by 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 the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds
Courtaulds
Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...
in 1964. Production finished in 1967.
Location
Welkin Mill, is in the valley of the River Goyt, within the Metropolitan Borough of StockportMetropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in north west England, centred around the town of Stockport. It has a population of about 280,600 and includes the outyling areas of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Bredbury, Reddish and Romiley...
, in 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located 7.9 miles (12.7 km) south east of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south west of Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
.
History
This stretch of the Goyt, shares much of it history with Stockport whose textile tradition started with the silk industry in the late 17th Century. By the 18 th century the manufacture of silk was dominating the economic life of the town. Large silk mills, such as Carrs Mill, Park Mill and Adlington Square Mill, became the major employers of the town. By 1769 nearly 2,000 people were employed in the town's silk trade. In 1772 the silk industry was in depression and the town turned to cotton. Stockport was very late in embracing the joint stock limited liability companyLimited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
boom. The first mill to be Financed by that method was Vernon Mill
Vernon Mill, Stockport
Vernon Mill, Stockport was a cotton spinning mill in Portwood, Stockport, Greater Manchester. Built in the late 19th century, it was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and sold on. It is still standing.-Location:...
.
Welkin was a ring mill built in the early 20th century producing 40's to 50's.
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
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
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. Welkin Mill, Lower Bredbury was one of 104 mills bought by the LCC, and one of the 53 mills that survived through to 1950. Ring mill producing 40's to 50's. Housing Buckleys printers, until the firm collapsed in October 2008. It was sold on the 12 March 2009 to the Sterling Property Company for £700,000. It will be marketed, either as a whole or sub-divided, for commercial storage and warehousing rental market.
Owners
- Lancashire Cotton Corporation (1930s–1964)
- Courtaulds (1964–
- Buckleys Printers ( –2008)
- Sterling Property Company (2009–
See also
- Textile manufacturingTextile manufacturingTextile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
- Cotton MillCotton millA cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....