Edward Potts (architect)
Encyclopedia
Edward Potts was an architect who practised in Oldham
, Lancashire
, England
. He was born on 2 March 1839 in Bury
, Lancashire. He moved to Oldham
and designed many of the town's Cotton mill
s and was ranked with P. S. Stott
as the greatest mill architect of Victorian Lancashire. Potts and his partnerships were responsible for the design and build of 200 mills, sixteen of which were in Oldham. One such mill is Textile Mill, Chadderton
built in 1882.
Mills, of this period were constructed with fireproof floors. These were principally triple brick arches, but Potts pioneered the use of 7" thick concrete
floors. On 3 March 1884 he attempted to patent this new method of constructing fireproof floors and ceilings. The patent was rejected, and it was rapidly adopted by other architect. The seven inch floor was more rigid than a 12" brick floor so preserved the alignment of the spinning mule
s thus saving power. However the concrete floor however required a closer grouping of supporting columns, which restricted the size of the machines. To solve this, introduced transverse steel girders into the design, supported on steel lintels above the windows. Thus there was no lateral thrust on the walls, the windows became square headed and abnormally wide.
He moved to Eccles
in 1891 and was responsible for the design of the town's library. He was a Liberal
member of Eccles
borough council from 1902 to 1905, the first chairman of the town's library committee (1904) and a Justice of the Peace
in 1906. He inaugurated popular Saturday night concerts during the winter months and keen to reduce the incidence of infant mortality gave a sovereign to the mother of every child who reached the age of one.
He died on 15 April 1909 and was buried at Chadderton Cemetery
.
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...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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...
. He was born on 2 March 1839 in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire. He moved to 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...
and designed many of the town's Cotton mill
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....
s and was ranked with P. S. Stott
Sir Philip Stott, 1st Baronet
Sir Philip Sidney Stott, 1st Baronet , usually known as Sidney Stott until 1920, was an English architect, civil engineer and surveyor....
as the greatest mill architect of Victorian Lancashire. Potts and his partnerships were responsible for the design and build of 200 mills, sixteen of which were in Oldham. One such mill is Textile Mill, Chadderton
Textile Mill, Chadderton
Textile Mill, Chadderton was a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1882 by Potts, Pickup & Dixon for the Textile Mill Co. Ltd, and closed in 1927. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the late 1940s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964...
built in 1882.
Mills, of this period were constructed with fireproof floors. These were principally triple brick arches, but Potts pioneered the use of 7" thick concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
floors. On 3 March 1884 he attempted to patent this new method of constructing fireproof floors and ceilings. The patent was rejected, and it was rapidly adopted by other architect. The seven inch floor was more rigid than a 12" brick floor so preserved the alignment of the spinning mule
Spinning mule
The spinning mule was a machine used to spin cotton and other fibres in the mills of Lancashire and elsewhere from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Mules were worked in pairs by a minder, with the help of two boys: the little piecer and the big or side piecer...
s thus saving power. However the concrete floor however required a closer grouping of supporting columns, which restricted the size of the machines. To solve this, introduced transverse steel girders into the design, supported on steel lintels above the windows. Thus there was no lateral thrust on the walls, the windows became square headed and abnormally wide.
He moved to Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
in 1891 and was responsible for the design of the town's library. He was a Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
member of Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
borough council from 1902 to 1905, the first chairman of the town's library committee (1904) and a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1906. He inaugurated popular Saturday night concerts during the winter months and keen to reduce the incidence of infant mortality gave a sovereign to the mother of every child who reached the age of one.
He died on 15 April 1909 and was buried at Chadderton Cemetery
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
.
Partnerships
- Woodhouse & Potts (1860–1872)
- Independent architect (1872–1880)
- Potts, Pickup & Dixon (1880–1890) Manchester office from 1882.
- Potts, Son & Henning, Manchester, Oldham, and Bolton. (1890–1907)