Buckley & Taylor
Encyclopedia
Buckley & Taylor was a company that manufactured stationary steam engine
s. It was the largest firm of engine makers in Oldham
, Greater Manchester
in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills
in Oldham and exported to India, Holland and Brazil.
Samuel Buckley was born in 1837 at Hey, Lees, to a mule spinner. He started work in a mill at the age of six. While working he got an education and studied engineering. Before he was twenty he had been appointed chief engineer at Castle Mill and Lowerhouse Mill. He had an interest in politics and was Mayor of Oldham on three occasions: 1883/4 1889/90 and 1890/1. James Taylor was born in 1838 at Shaw, and served an apprenticeship with Woolstenhulmes & Rye
. Both men were engineers, though it was Taylor who dealt with the practical details, and Buckley conducted the commercial side of the business. On Taylor's death, Buckley managed the business alone. It was incorporated in 1902; and Taylor's son William took control. It was taken over by the Brightside Foundry, general engineers of Sheffield in 1947, but continued to operate under its own name.
. An early example was the 1,000-ihp engine delivered to the North Moor spinning company in 1876. The design was conservative, using slide valves and spur wheel gear drive transmission. They did start to fit Corliss valves and rope drives in 1883, but these didn't become standard until the 1890s. An example of such an engine was the 2,000-ihp, horizontal twin tandem triple expansion delivered to Pearl Mill in 1892.
, building at least 11 engines using designs of JH Tattersall, a consulting engineer from Preston. The two identical engines, twin beam triple expansion engines, built for Nile Mill and Tay Mill were the biggest ever beam engine installed in a cotton mill. They delivered 2,500 ihp and cost over ₤10,000
Stationary steam engine
Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars , agricultural engines used for ploughing or...
s. It was the largest firm of engine makers in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, 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. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills
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 Oldham and exported to India, Holland and Brazil.
History
Buckley & Taylor started business in 1861, and were producing mill engines by 1867. Many of their early engines were large compound beam engines. By 1870 they had established a reputation for horizontal twin tandem compounds. Their original 1/2 acre site at the Castle Ironworks at Green acres expanded to 3 acres (1.2 ha) in 1880, and they operated a forge at Openshaw. In 1890 they were employing 400 men. They built their last engine in 1926. Through Buckley, the firm had a close relationship with the Oldham Boiler Works Ltd.Samuel Buckley was born in 1837 at Hey, Lees, to a mule spinner. He started work in a mill at the age of six. While working he got an education and studied engineering. Before he was twenty he had been appointed chief engineer at Castle Mill and Lowerhouse Mill. He had an interest in politics and was Mayor of Oldham on three occasions: 1883/4 1889/90 and 1890/1. James Taylor was born in 1838 at Shaw, and served an apprenticeship with Woolstenhulmes & Rye
Woolstenhulmes & Rye
Woolstenhulmes & Rye was a company that manufactured stationary steam engines. It was based in Oldham, Greater Manchester in England. The company produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills in Oldham and elsewhere.-History:...
. Both men were engineers, though it was Taylor who dealt with the practical details, and Buckley conducted the commercial side of the business. On Taylor's death, Buckley managed the business alone. It was incorporated in 1902; and Taylor's son William took control. It was taken over by the Brightside Foundry, general engineers of Sheffield in 1947, but continued to operate under its own name.
Horizontal twin tandem
These were 'standard' mill engines preferred by the Oldham LimitedsOldham Limiteds
Oldham Limiteds were the 154 cotton manufacturing companies founded to build or operate cotton mills in Oldham in northwest England, and predominantly during the joint-stock boom of 1873–1875.-History:...
. An early example was the 1,000-ihp engine delivered to the North Moor spinning company in 1876. The design was conservative, using slide valves and spur wheel gear drive transmission. They did start to fit Corliss valves and rope drives in 1883, but these didn't become standard until the 1890s. An example of such an engine was the 2,000-ihp, horizontal twin tandem triple expansion delivered to Pearl Mill in 1892.
Beam Engines
During the 1890s Buckley & Taylor revived the beam engineBeam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
, building at least 11 engines using designs of JH Tattersall, a consulting engineer from Preston. The two identical engines, twin beam triple expansion engines, built for Nile Mill and Tay Mill were the biggest ever beam engine installed in a cotton mill. They delivered 2,500 ihp and cost over ₤10,000
Marine type mill engines
Inverted vertical engines, known commonly as marine type engines, needed less space to operate. From about 1899 Buckley & Taylor started to specialise in this type of engine. Starting with an engine for Don Mill, Middleton, they built 29 of these engines from 1899 to 1916 with a total capacity of 33,000 ihp. They provided a marine type vertical triple expansion engines to Regent Mill, Failsworth, in 1906. It was the largest they built; with 1,800 installed horsepower. The engine had a 63 inches (1,600.2 mm) low-pressure cylinder. It was sometimes loaded to 2,000 ihp. It ran until 1958, when it was scrapped. It ran 60,000 spindles. There was a 26 feet (7.9 m) flywheel, 26 ropes operated at 64 rpm.Mills driven by their engines
Between 1861 and 1926 Buckley & Taylor built more than 200 mill engines with a total capacity of over 160,000 ihp. Arthur Roberts details 26 in his black book. This list is representative rather than complete.- Sun Mill, Chadderton.1867
- Lees & Wrigley No.3. Mill, Glodwick 1875
- Pearl Mill, Oldham 1878
- Nile Mill
- Tay Mill
- Don Mill, Middleton 1901
- Regent Mill, FailsworthRegent Mill, FailsworthRegent Mill, Failsworth is a cotton spinning mill in Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built by the Regent Mill Ltd. in 1905, but purchased by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s. It was later taken over by the Courtaulds Group. On ceasing textile production it was occupied...
1906 - Orb Mill, Waterhead 1908
- Wye No.2 Mill, Shaw 1926