Maple Mill, Oldham
Encyclopedia
The Maple Mill was a cotton spinning mill
in Hathershaw Moor, Oldham
, Greater Manchester
, England. It was designed as a double mill by the architect Sydney Stott
.The first mill was built in 1904 and the second mill in 1915. In 1968, it was equipped with the first open-end spinning machines
in England. When spinning ceased in the 1990s, it was bought by Vance Miller. Trading Standards
raided the mill in 2006, and ordered Mr Miller stop selling products that failed national safety provisions. It was seriously damaged by fire in April 2009; the fire brigade was in attendance for two weeks and deployed 34 appliances.
It was taken over by Fine Spinners and Doublers in the 1950s.
Maple Mill was sold to Courtaulds
in 1964. In 1968, Maple Mill was selected by Courtaulds to receive the first top secret BD 200s, Open End Spinning machines
from Czechoslovakia
. These were experimental, and coming without documentation were difficult to operate. Simply, they were designed for Uzbek cotton not the American cotton or synthetics used in Oldham. A research visit by Courtaulds staff to Ústí nad Labem
in August 1968, was interrupted by Soviet tanks putting down the Prague spring
uprising. Later a body of Czech technicians was based at Maple Mill, until the problems had been resolved. This was a rare example of cross Iron Curtain co-operation. Cotton spinning ceased in 1991 and the mill was sold .
It was bought by Vance Miller
and used to manufacture and market fitted kitchens and furniture.
On April 21, 2009, a fire started near the diesel generator of the kitchen factory and ignited the contents of propane cylinders and pallets. Sixty firefighters used ten fire engines and "a number of specialist appliances, including two aerial appliances, to contain the fire." Fire Service spokesman Paul Duggan said: "The fire is thought to have started in a diesel generator then spread to some wooden pallets and propane cylinders nearby, some of which exploded as a result. There were people inside at the time but there were no reported injuries or any reports of anyone missing." Local townspeople near the area had been left without water or very little The building is burnt out.
The fire was the largest incident attended by Greater Manchester Fire Service for several years. At the height of the fire, a total of 34 fire appliances from across Manchester attended including three aerial appliances, Hose Layers and High Volume Pumping Units. The Fire Service were in continuous attendance for two weeks.
, so the round chimney carried the double rings that were his trademark. This was a six storey red brick mill built in 1904. Stott did not use concrete floors but a triple brick arched vault construction, however here there was a concrete ceiling. Though the chimney stands it has been truncated.
. It had a 48in stroke, and its High pressure cylinder was 18 ½" in diameter. The intermediate was 29", and the low pressure was 47". It was pressured to 185psi, and ran a 22 ft flywheeel at 75rpm. There were Corliss valves on all cylinders. The air pump was driven from LP crosshead.
Maple No.2 was powered by a 1800 hp engine from Urmson & Thompson
.
and Trading Standards
raided the Maple Mill offices and factory of Mr Vance Miller
. As a result of the raids four people, including Miller, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in what was one of Tradings Standards' biggest ever operations . The company was able to continue trading despite Trading Standards seizing property in a bid to pursue its case against the company.
On 21 February 2007, under the General Product Safety Regulations Act 2005
, Trading Standards
Officers in Oldham ordered Vance Miller, again trading from Maple Mill, to immediately withdraw four types of minibike
s from sale. The products failed national safety provisions.
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 Hathershaw Moor, 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...
, England. It was designed as a double mill by the architect Sydney 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....
.The first mill was built in 1904 and the second mill in 1915. In 1968, it was equipped with the first open-end spinning machines
Open end spinning
Open end spinning or open-end spinning is a technology for creating yarn without using a spindle. It was invented and developed in Czechoslovakia in Výzkumný ústav bavlnářský / Cotton Researching Institute in Ústí nad Orlicí in the year 1963....
in England. When spinning ceased in the 1990s, it was bought by Vance Miller. Trading Standards
Trading Standards Institute
The Trading Standards Institute is the professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas.-History:...
raided the mill in 2006, and ordered Mr Miller stop selling products that failed national safety provisions. It was seriously damaged by fire in April 2009; the fire brigade was in attendance for two weeks and deployed 34 appliances.
History
It was designed as a double mill by P.S.Stott, in 1904. The first mill was built then and the second mill in 1915. It worked as a mule spinning mill.It was taken over by Fine Spinners and Doublers in the 1950s.
Maple Mill was sold 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. In 1968, Maple Mill was selected by Courtaulds to receive the first top secret BD 200s, Open End Spinning machines
Open end spinning
Open end spinning or open-end spinning is a technology for creating yarn without using a spindle. It was invented and developed in Czechoslovakia in Výzkumný ústav bavlnářský / Cotton Researching Institute in Ústí nad Orlicí in the year 1963....
from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. These were experimental, and coming without documentation were difficult to operate. Simply, they were designed for Uzbek cotton not the American cotton or synthetics used in Oldham. A research visit by Courtaulds staff to Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. The city is the 7th-most populous in the country.Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and the Elbe Rivers, and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction...
in August 1968, was interrupted by Soviet tanks putting down the Prague spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
uprising. Later a body of Czech technicians was based at Maple Mill, until the problems had been resolved. This was a rare example of cross Iron Curtain co-operation. Cotton spinning ceased in 1991 and the mill was sold .
It was bought by Vance Miller
Vance Miller
Vance Miller is an entrepreneur from Rochdale, in North West England. Miller, whose "business practices have attracted controversy", has been referred to in the media as The Kitchen Gangster.-Biography:...
and used to manufacture and market fitted kitchens and furniture.
On April 21, 2009, a fire started near the diesel generator of the kitchen factory and ignited the contents of propane cylinders and pallets. Sixty firefighters used ten fire engines and "a number of specialist appliances, including two aerial appliances, to contain the fire." Fire Service spokesman Paul Duggan said: "The fire is thought to have started in a diesel generator then spread to some wooden pallets and propane cylinders nearby, some of which exploded as a result. There were people inside at the time but there were no reported injuries or any reports of anyone missing." Local townspeople near the area had been left without water or very little The building is burnt out.
The fire was the largest incident attended by Greater Manchester Fire Service for several years. At the height of the fire, a total of 34 fire appliances from across Manchester attended including three aerial appliances, Hose Layers and High Volume Pumping Units. The Fire Service were in continuous attendance for two weeks.
Architecture
Maple Mill was a double mill. Maple No.2 was designed by P.S.StottSir 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....
, so the round chimney carried the double rings that were his trademark. This was a six storey red brick mill built in 1904. Stott did not use concrete floors but a triple brick arched vault construction, however here there was a concrete ceiling. Though the chimney stands it has been truncated.
Power
Maple No. 1 was powered by a 1000 hp vertical triple expansion engine built by George Saxon, of OpenshawOpenshaw
Openshaw is a ward of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, North West England. It lies about two miles east of Manchester city centre. Historically a part of Lancashire, Openshaw was incorporated into the city of Manchester in 1890. Its name derives from the Old English Opinschawe, which...
. It had a 48in stroke, and its High pressure cylinder was 18 ½" in diameter. The intermediate was 29", and the low pressure was 47". It was pressured to 185psi, and ran a 22 ft flywheeel at 75rpm. There were Corliss valves on all cylinders. The air pump was driven from LP crosshead.
Maple No.2 was powered by a 1800 hp engine from Urmson & Thompson
Urmson & Thompson
Urmson & Thompson was a company that manufactured stationary steam engines. It was based in Oldham, Greater Manchester in England. The company were general millwrights, also producing some steam engines during the 19th century and after 1904 produced large steam-driven engines for textile mills...
.
Equipment
Both mills ran mules supplied by Platts. Maple I had 114.456 Spindles and Maple 2 had 55.888 Spindles.Notable events
In 2006 the Greater Manchester PoliceGreater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
and Trading Standards
Trading Standards Institute
The Trading Standards Institute is the professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas.-History:...
raided the Maple Mill offices and factory of Mr Vance Miller
Vance Miller
Vance Miller is an entrepreneur from Rochdale, in North West England. Miller, whose "business practices have attracted controversy", has been referred to in the media as The Kitchen Gangster.-Biography:...
. As a result of the raids four people, including Miller, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in what was one of Tradings Standards' biggest ever operations . The company was able to continue trading despite Trading Standards seizing property in a bid to pursue its case against the company.
On 21 February 2007, under the General Product Safety Regulations Act 2005
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 is a 2005 Statutory Instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that demands that "No producer shall [supply or] place a [consumer] product on the market unless the product is a safe product" and provides broad enforcement powers...
, Trading Standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
Officers in Oldham ordered Vance Miller, again trading from Maple Mill, to immediately withdraw four types of minibike
Minibike
A minibike, sometimes called a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most minibikes use two-stroke engines and chain drive.- History :...
s from sale. The products failed national safety provisions.