| NFR: History of the Spotland area 10:52 - May 30 with 10356 views | Sheffdale |
One of my projects at the moment is trying to add context to my family history. I was brought up in the Spotland area and both grandparents were local. My ggf (William Robert Ashworth) was in the early 20th century the owner of Foot Mill, described as a mill beside the first bend of the river north of Spotland Bridge. I can see it on an 1850 map. As it's going to be some while before I am over that way I wonder if anyone walks around there? I suspect it's part of the Healey Dell Nature Reserve. If you do could you look around for any evidence of the mill being there and let me know. I expect many of us have ancestors in the Spotland area so who knows this could be a close season thread! My other ggf (James Goodwin) was a gardener for George Kemp, who became the first Lord Rochdale, so I have been in touch with the current Lord Rochdale and we are now on first name terms don't you know! |  | | |  |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 11:34 - May 30 with 5753 views | D_Alien |
Have you got a link to the 1850 map i could use to check for remains of the mill? There's quite a few remnants of old buildings dotted around the paths, some of which are literally just a handful of stone blocks. If i can identify the site, i'll take a couple of photos and send them to you
[Post edited 3 Jun 2020 23:59]
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 12:43 - May 30 with 5741 views | mingthemerciless |
The Mill is on my map of 1908 but It's further back up the river than the first bend. I suspect it used to be on the site of what later became the TBA works car park back when I worked there. That's opposed to all the other car parks they had.
As far as I know it's not part of the Healey Dell Nature Reserve. To be honest I don't think people are encouraged to walk around that particular area because of the fears regarding asbestos contamination. [Post edited 30 May 2020 12:47]
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 13:19 - May 30 with 5720 views | Sheffdale |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 11:34 - May 30 by D_Alien |
Have you got a link to the 1850 map i could use to check for remains of the mill? There's quite a few remnants of old buildings dotted around the paths, some of which are literally just a handful of stone blocks. If i can identify the site, i'll take a couple of photos and send them to you
[Post edited 3 Jun 2020 23:59]
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That would be great. I'll scan a copy and PM you later. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 13:54 - May 30 with 5637 views | D_Alien |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 13:19 - May 30 by Sheffdale |
That would be great. I'll scan a copy and PM you later. |
If the site is in the Turners area as ming suggests, there is a public footpath through the site (used regularly) and i may be able to get close enough to take photos without encroaching on restricted areas | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 22:22 - May 30 with 5525 views | blackdogblue |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 13:54 - May 30 by D_Alien |
If the site is in the Turners area as ming suggests, there is a public footpath through the site (used regularly) and i may be able to get close enough to take photos without encroaching on restricted areas |
Isn’t there some local info boards in Healy Dell unless they have been removed / robbed... pretty sure walking away from the car park where the cafe is, they explained a mill that was driven by the water from the river (5-10 mins walk & down left from the main path before the waterfalls start)?? |  |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 23:18 - May 30 with 5503 views | D_Dale |
It could be that great-grandfather Ashworth's mill was part of the short-lived post-WW1 boom in the cotton trade and was then caught in the 1920s slump.
The Manchester Guardian (8 March 1924, p.4) carries an advert: 'For sale by private treaty, freehold shed and three-storey mill, a portion built 1920 ... [details of machinery and other items for sale]. Also freehold farm, about 5 acres, and six cottages, situate at Spod Road, Spotland, Rochdale.
But on 3 May 1924, p. 20, the MG's classified ads included: "Re W. R. Ashworth (in voluntary liquidation), Foot Mill, Spotland, Rochdale. For sale in one lot [description of items for sale] ... by auction on Tuesday May 13, 1924 at the Thatched House Hotel, Newmarket Place, Manchester."
However, the following month's MG (25 April 1925, p.4) advertised "Freehold shed and three-storey mill (portion built 1920) known as Foot Mill, Spotland ... offers are invited for sale by private treaty: a reasonable price will be accepted to close receivership".
Possibly the "Rochdale Observer" carried more details, but searching through it would be a needle-in-haystack situation. The MG is online via Manchester city library, though can be a bit of a trial to use. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 23:32 - May 30 with 5458 views | D_Alien |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 23:18 - May 30 by D_Dale |
It could be that great-grandfather Ashworth's mill was part of the short-lived post-WW1 boom in the cotton trade and was then caught in the 1920s slump.
The Manchester Guardian (8 March 1924, p.4) carries an advert: 'For sale by private treaty, freehold shed and three-storey mill, a portion built 1920 ... [details of machinery and other items for sale]. Also freehold farm, about 5 acres, and six cottages, situate at Spod Road, Spotland, Rochdale.
But on 3 May 1924, p. 20, the MG's classified ads included: "Re W. R. Ashworth (in voluntary liquidation), Foot Mill, Spotland, Rochdale. For sale in one lot [description of items for sale] ... by auction on Tuesday May 13, 1924 at the Thatched House Hotel, Newmarket Place, Manchester."
However, the following month's MG (25 April 1925, p.4) advertised "Freehold shed and three-storey mill (portion built 1920) known as Foot Mill, Spotland ... offers are invited for sale by private treaty: a reasonable price will be accepted to close receivership".
Possibly the "Rochdale Observer" carried more details, but searching through it would be a needle-in-haystack situation. The MG is online via Manchester city library, though can be a bit of a trial to use. |
Interesting find, and it seems that Foot Mill Crescent is named after the old mill (courtesy of info from SheffDale)
In reply to bdb, the whole stretch of river has long-abandoned mills, it must've been a right hive of activity back in the day especially when the railway line ran through and across the viaduct | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 09:21 - May 31 with 5387 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 22:22 - May 30 by blackdogblue |
Isn’t there some local info boards in Healy Dell unless they have been removed / robbed... pretty sure walking away from the car park where the cafe is, they explained a mill that was driven by the water from the river (5-10 mins walk & down left from the main path before the waterfalls start)?? |
That's a totally different mill. " Foot Wood " which was near the site of the Foot Wood mill is down by the old TBA factory site. | | | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 09:33 - May 31 with 5379 views | mingthemerciless |
I grew up in the Shawclough area and we played all around the Foot Wood area. Sometimes we used to make our way up to Lenny Barn via the Foot Wood valley.
Back in the day you could walk from Shawclough Road down past Shawclough Mill and then right down the Foot Wood valley. You can't now because Shawclough mill was demolished and lots of housing has been built in that area the last 30 to 40 years. Imagine building houses on the TBA sports ground !
A minor problem is the boundary line of all the maps I have runs right through the site of Foot Wood mill believe it or not !
On the 1908 map it shows " Foot Wood mill ( Cotton ) " sited in the loop of the river Spodden that is formed when the river that flows past the front of the old TBA site loops around and turns gradually around to head down the valley towards Spotland Bridge.
When I worked at TBA in the 1960's that site had been flattened out and it was where the manual workers parked their cars. The last time I was down there it was all pretty overgrown and being patrolled by site security blokes.
Since there isn't much else to do these days I'll have a walk down there later with the map and I'll see what remains of the old mill etc. [Post edited 31 May 2020 9:56]
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:21 - May 31 with 5342 views | ncfc_chalky |
Very interesting thread about Rochdales industrial history,how many mills was situated along the river and was they all cotton mills? |  |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:33 - May 31 with 5333 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:21 - May 31 by ncfc_chalky |
Very interesting thread about Rochdales industrial history,how many mills was situated along the river and was they all cotton mills? |
I wouldn't like to say how many mills there were but there were several rivers and quite a few old mills on each river. It all really took off with the advent of steam engines to power the machinery, then there was a large cotton mill on almost every street corner in " Cotton " towns like Rochdale and Oldham
I believe in the early days before steam a lot of the mills were woollen mills but eventually it was nearly all cotton.
I read somewhere that in the 1890's at the height of one of the cotton booms that there were more millionaires in Shaw ( between Rochdale and Oldham ) than anywhere else in the world.
There was a thing called " Wakes " week's were the whole of the town shut down and everybody that could afford it went away to Blackpool for a holiday and the maintenance work was done in the mills. Even in my lifetime you could only just about get a loaf of bread and a pint of milk in the 2nd week. Where I lived the paper shop shut and an old guy sold daily papers from the nearby bus shelter. It was pretty weird really, a bit like it was recently in the lockdown. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:40 - May 31 with 5326 views | ncfc_chalky |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:33 - May 31 by mingthemerciless |
I wouldn't like to say how many mills there were but there were several rivers and quite a few old mills on each river. It all really took off with the advent of steam engines to power the machinery, then there was a large cotton mill on almost every street corner in " Cotton " towns like Rochdale and Oldham
I believe in the early days before steam a lot of the mills were woollen mills but eventually it was nearly all cotton.
I read somewhere that in the 1890's at the height of one of the cotton booms that there were more millionaires in Shaw ( between Rochdale and Oldham ) than anywhere else in the world.
There was a thing called " Wakes " week's were the whole of the town shut down and everybody that could afford it went away to Blackpool for a holiday and the maintenance work was done in the mills. Even in my lifetime you could only just about get a loaf of bread and a pint of milk in the 2nd week. Where I lived the paper shop shut and an old guy sold daily papers from the nearby bus shelter. It was pretty weird really, a bit like it was recently in the lockdown. |
Thanks for that ming,I've heard of Wake Week but i don't think that it happened in Nottingham so I think that it was a northern thing,was there a road network in Victorian times to take the cotton away or was it done by canal and is the canal still there if so? | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:55 - May 31 with 5313 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 10:40 - May 31 by ncfc_chalky |
Thanks for that ming,I've heard of Wake Week but i don't think that it happened in Nottingham so I think that it was a northern thing,was there a road network in Victorian times to take the cotton away or was it done by canal and is the canal still there if so? |
Yes there was a canal and large parts of it still exist. Branches of it came right into the centre of town were there were several large cotton warehouses. Back in my TBA apprenticeship days TBA owned some of the warehouses that where ( for those who know Rochdale ) roughly were " Halfords ", " Argos " and those other stores are now and where parts of MFI used to be.
They kept the warehouse empty but ready in case of some emergency or other. We used to get the bus into town ( paying with TBA's own bus tokens ) and walk up Drake St with our tools to check out the hoists in the warehouses. A really easy job because they never got used. We'd just tick the check list.
I was only a lad and the fitter I was working with suggested we went into that nearby pub on the corner of Oldham Road and Wood Street ( The Eagle ? ) for a pint. When we emerged from the front door there was a big Rover car stopped right outside at the traffic lights, it was only the TBA Works Engineer going home for dinner ! Luckily the lights changed and he drove off. If he'd have seen us we'd have been walking the plank back at work. [Post edited 31 May 2020 11:03]
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 11:23 - May 31 with 5288 views | ncfc_chalky |
TBA?  | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 12:07 - May 31 with 5249 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 11:35 - May 31 by Sheffdale |
Turner Brothers Asbestos (TBA) for the uninitiated. And there were 30 mills along the banks of the river Spod(den) I have read somewhere. Very grateful for the colour and context that this thread is adding. [Post edited 31 May 2020 13:58]
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When I worked there in the 1960's they had 2,000 people on days and almost 1,000 on nights. You name it they had it in terms of facilities. The sports and social side was second to non, just a shame about the " Killer Dust ".
I got out as soon as I realised just how dangerous it was to work there. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 17:57 - May 31 with 5095 views | mingthemerciless |
Thanks very much for those fascinating photos. After studying them I think that if you look at photo EPWO45806 you can see the Foot Wood mill in the background.
In the centre of the photo there is a factory chimney. Follow the line of the chimney upwards. Just before you get to the right hand edge of that wooded area you can make out a small mill with a pitched roof. I think that's the mill in question.
I had a walk down there today and there is nothing remaining of the mill. The site is quite overgrown with mature trees. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 20:51 - May 31 with 5018 views | Sheffdale |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 17:57 - May 31 by mingthemerciless |
Thanks very much for those fascinating photos. After studying them I think that if you look at photo EPWO45806 you can see the Foot Wood mill in the background.
In the centre of the photo there is a factory chimney. Follow the line of the chimney upwards. Just before you get to the right hand edge of that wooded area you can make out a small mill with a pitched roof. I think that's the mill in question.
I had a walk down there today and there is nothing remaining of the mill. The site is quite overgrown with mature trees. |
Ming, my investigator on the spot thinks that remains of Foot Mill can be seen and has provided photographic evidence to support his case. I can't load up photos here but his description reads,
"after crossing the bridge and starting up the woodland path, looking left through two lots of metal fencing, you should be able to make out what's left of the brick walls of Foot Mill, especially if you zoom in. It's just the other side of the fencing across the road, with the abandoned buildings of the TBA site in the background."
As I used to go to scouts at Spotland Bridge, I think it's only right this evening that I award D_Alien his Industrial Archaelogy Badge for services to my family tree. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 21:38 - May 31 with 4984 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 20:51 - May 31 by Sheffdale |
Ming, my investigator on the spot thinks that remains of Foot Mill can be seen and has provided photographic evidence to support his case. I can't load up photos here but his description reads,
"after crossing the bridge and starting up the woodland path, looking left through two lots of metal fencing, you should be able to make out what's left of the brick walls of Foot Mill, especially if you zoom in. It's just the other side of the fencing across the road, with the abandoned buildings of the TBA site in the background."
As I used to go to scouts at Spotland Bridge, I think it's only right this evening that I award D_Alien his Industrial Archaelogy Badge for services to my family tree. |
In that case I'll have another look sometime. When I was there today there was a little group of yoof of today with their dogs off the lead so I gave their bit of the area a swerve. Do you know which bridge your informant is referirng to as there are more than one in that area. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 21:42 - May 31 with 4984 views | Sheffdale |
Agreed, it's a great resource. You can see the growth of the Spotland area in the second half of the 19th century by comparing the maps. Most of my relations lived in those terraced houses off Spotland Road built around that time. | | | |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 22:28 - May 31 with 4956 views | D_Alien |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 20:51 - May 31 by Sheffdale |
Ming, my investigator on the spot thinks that remains of Foot Mill can be seen and has provided photographic evidence to support his case. I can't load up photos here but his description reads,
"after crossing the bridge and starting up the woodland path, looking left through two lots of metal fencing, you should be able to make out what's left of the brick walls of Foot Mill, especially if you zoom in. It's just the other side of the fencing across the road, with the abandoned buildings of the TBA site in the background."
As I used to go to scouts at Spotland Bridge, I think it's only right this evening that I award D_Alien his Industrial Archaelogy Badge for services to my family tree. |
Cheers Sheffdale, it's been a pleasure
Ming, if u pm your email I'll send the photos to you. It'd be useful to have your confirmation since you worked there, but i'm almost certain the remains of Foot Mill still exist on the spot where the 1850 map shows it. I'll send that too | |
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| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 09:27 - Jun 1 with 4843 views | mingthemerciless |
| NFR: History of the Spotland area on 22:28 - May 31 by D_Alien |
Cheers Sheffdale, it's been a pleasure
Ming, if u pm your email I'll send the photos to you. It'd be useful to have your confirmation since you worked there, but i'm almost certain the remains of Foot Mill still exist on the spot where the 1850 map shows it. I'll send that too |
Thanks for that. I've sent you a personal message with my email address. | | | |
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