Murrays' Mills
Encyclopedia
Murrays' Mills is a complex of former cotton mill
s on land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal
in the district of Ancoats
, Manchester
, England (grid reference
). The mills were built for brothers Adam and George Murray. A & G Murray was consistently one of the largest cotton-spinning firms in Manchester and the world. At its peak, the company employed around 1,000 people.
The first mill on the site, Old Mill, was begun in 1797. By 1806, the complex was the largest mill complex in the world. Today, it is the world's oldest surviving urban steam-powered cotton spinning factory. After Old Mill opened, the company continued to expand and prosper. Decker Mill was opened in 1802, New Mill in 1804, Little Mill in 1822, and Doubling and Fireproof Mill in 1842. The main complex formed a quadrangle which surrounded the complex's own private canal basin with a link under the road to the Rochdale Canal which opened in 1804. The canal basin was used to deliver raw cotton and coal and to transport spun cotton away from the complex.
In the 1898, A&G Murray became part of the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association Limited (FCSDA)
. The mill complex began to decline in the early 20th century as the canal basin was filled in and Little Mill burnt down. The mill was replaced with the earliest mill in Greater Manchester that was built to use mains electricity. The mill complex continued producing cotton until the 1950s. The mills were later leased out to other companies and in some cases allowed to fall into disrepair. Between 2000 and 2003, Urban Splash
redeveloped Fireproof and Doubling Mill into offices, winning a RIBA
Award. The rest of the complex underwent a £17M regeneration between 2004 and 2006 and are proposed to be used as flats and a hotel.
After immigrating from Scotland in the 1780s, the Murrays had first established themselves as manufacturers of textile machinery before moving into the spinning
of fine yarn. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the main market for Murrays' fine spun yarn was in Scotland
especially in the muslin
-weaving industry; along with McConnel & Kennedy, A & G Murray dominated the Scottish market. In 1790, Adam Murray leased land in Ancoats; in partnership with his brother George, Murray began construction of his first mill – which was generally complete by about 1798 – on the land he leased. The mill was probably originally designed to house equipment produced by the Murray brothers themselves. Originally known as Union Mill because of its position on Union Street, the Old Mill was a purpose-built steam-powered spinning mill. Construction would have taken approximately a year and millwright
Thomas Lowe – who had worked on Richard Arkwright
's first two factories – planned the building. It is eight storey
s high and was probably the first cotton-spinning factory to have been built that high. The first phase of the mill measured 105 feet (32 m) by 42 feet (12.8 m) and consisted of about 400,000 locally made bricks. The machinery in Old Mill was powered by a 12 horse power (hp), £
620 Boulton and Watt
steam engine
.
Construction of the Murrays' second mill, Decker Mill, had begun by 1801 to the east of Old Mill. The mill was the same height as Old Mill and effectively doubled the size of the complex. Decker Mill was completed in time to exploit the economic boom in the cotton trade that followed the brief peace
in the war with France
from 1802–1803. During the construction of Decker Mill, the steam engine was replaced with another from Boulton and Watt, this time with 40 hp.
Following the completion of the Ancoats section of the Rochdale Canal in 1804, raw materials no longer had to be moved by cart. Materials such as coal and cotton could be moved directly into the complex and there was a readily available supply of water for the steam engines as there was a private basin attached to the canal. The entrance tunnel leading to the basin was set 90° to the canal, with a short arm on the opposite side of the canal; given that the canal itself is only 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, this posed navigation problems for canal boats, which could be as much as 70 feet (21.3 m) in length. It is therefore possible that cargo was transferred to smaller vessels for the journey between the canal and the complex basin.
The construction of New Mill was probably completed in 1804, also. It measured 193 feet (58.8 m) by 46 feet (14 m) and as with the previous mills, New Mill was built eight storeys high. It was fitted with a 45 hp steam engines from Boulton and Watt. All three mills were steam-power cotton-spinning factories.
The complex was further extended with the addition of two four-storey blocks, one on Murray Street and the other on Bengal Street by 1806. These blocks where mainly used as warehouse and office space. An entrance archway in the Murray Street block provided the only access to the central courtyard, and in turn the buildings, which all had their entrances facing into the courtyard. This meant that access to all parts of the site could be controlled.
By 1806, the Murrays' Mills was the largest mill complex in Manchester and the world. With 84,000 mule spindles
the complex was huge compared to other mills of the time, most of which had less than 10,000 spindles. The status of the complex was reflected in the amount of ornamentation on the Murray Street and Bengal Street blocks compared to other mills of the time. The Murray Street block had a symmetrical arrangement of arched doorways and windows. This pattern was in turn mirrored on the Bengal Street block, which had an arrangement of false doorways.
A & G Murray prospered during the early 19th century, and in 1809 the firm was valued at £20,456: 13% more than their nearest rival, McConnel & Kennedy, and more than double the firm in third place. The company has been described as "one of the largest cotton-spinning firms in Manchester, and probably the country". By 1815, they were employing 1,215 people.
During the early to mid 19th century there were several periods of depression and prosperity in the cotton trade. In this period, A & G Murray would have been less affected by these changes due to the size of the firm. In 1817, engineers William Fairbairn
and his partner James Lillie updated the complex. The contract, Fairbairn's first as a millwright, involved the replacement of line shafting in the complex, with wrought iron line-shafting designed to work at higher speeds. Adam Murray died in 1818 and his brother George continued to run the firm. By 1818, the firm had nearly tripled in value since 1809 to £59,000.
Additionally, the firm also expanded beyond Bengal Street further along the strip of land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal. Little Mill was built on the corner of Jersey Street and Bengal Street around 1822. It was originally six storeys high, but an additional three storeys were added at an unknown later date. The building covered 644 square metres (6,932 sq ft) and just over half of this area would have been occupied by a gasometer
house which would have supplied the complex with gas used for lighting. The mill was linked to New Mill via a tunnel which may have carried the gas supply. Engineer Joshua Field
visited the mill in 1821 and commented "they spin the finest thread". He also noted that the furnace which provided steam to drive the engines had been fitted with a "smoke burner" to "lessen the consumption of fuel", also having the effect of reducing the amount of smoke produced.
Despite the continued expansion, by 1824 competitors McConnel and Kennedy had overtaken the Murrays as Manchester's biggest cotton spinners. In 1833 A & G Murray were employing only 841 people, a reduction in workforce George Murray attributed to "recent improvement in the firm's machinery".
In 1842, Doubling Mill and Fireproof Mill were built on the corner of Redhill Street and Bengal Street. Doubling Mill is five storeys high with an engine house designed to contain a 40 hp beam engine
. Doubling Mill was used for doubling – the process of combining two or more lengths of yarn into a single thread – cotton produced in the company's earlier mills, giving the mill its name. Fireproof Mill, again as its name suggests, was designed to be fireproof by using cast-iron beams and columns rather than timber; it was the first mill in the mill complex to have been built to resist fire. The mill is four storeys high and may have been used as a warehouse. The two new mills were also linked to the original complex by tunnels under Bengal Street. The firm "doubled more or less" in size during the early to mid nineteenth century and expanded into the fine yarn markets around Nottingham
, the growth of the firm led to the creation of the Doubling and Fireproof Mills.
In December 1852, the mill complex was valued at £75,000; when George Murray died in 1855, two of his three sons – James and Benjamin – inherited the complex. By 1881, A & G Murray had become registered as a limited liability company
and the running of it was mostly in the hands of manager Herbert Dixon, who had joined the company in 1876, as the Murray family played less of a role. Under Dixon the company modernised and used new technology and was the reason for the firm's continued success. The use of new, more efficient technologies resulted in the further reduction of the workforce so that by 1897, A & G Murray only employed 500 people. In 1887, Fireproof Mill and Doubling Mill were leased by A & G Murray Ltd to C E Bennet.
In September 1898, A & G Murray was "voluntarily wound up and conveyed to the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association Limited (FCSDA)
". The association had been an idea on the part of Dixon and Scott Lings to form an association of cotton spinners. 31 other cotton spinners also joined the association. The association had the advantage of great size in comparison to the competition, and had the necessary clout to secure raw materials. With Dixon as its Managing Director until 1917, by the 1920s, the FCSDA was the largest and most successful cotton-spinning association in the world with over 60 mills and 30,000 employees.
On 28 January 1908, a fire broke out in Little Mill, caused by some machinery. The fire lasted for about 12 hours and caused an estimated £20,000 damage and resulted in 200 employees at the mill losing their jobs. Whilst fighting the fire a fireman was killed when a fire-tender blew over in high winds. The building was replaced by a new building, New Little Mill, five storeys high, four shorter than its predecessor but occupying a larger area of ground. The new mill had concrete floors and was designed to use mains electricity
. The building is the earliest mill in Greater Manchester
that was built to use mains electricity.
map shows that the arm on the Rochdale Canal had been filled in and the complex's canal basin had been retitled as a reservoir, suggesting that the canal had ceased to be used as a way of transporting goods to and from the complex. By 1902, the canal basin had been filled in, however exactly when it was filled in is unknown.
Between 1902 and 1903, Old and Decker Mills were reduced in height by 1 storey to 7 storeys and New Mill was reduced in height by 2 storeys to 6 storeys. The exact reason for this reduction is unknown, however, it is speculated that the structure of the buildings was struggling to cope with the weight of increasingly heavy machinery. This theory is given added weight by the fact that at around the same time the timber beams used to support ceilings were replaced with steel beams to strengthen the building. In 1930 the Bengal Street block was also reduced in height by 2 storeys and buttress
es were constructed against the south wall of Decker Mill.
By the 1940s Fireproof Mill and Doubling Mill were occupied by a bedding manufacturer. In 1948, the break-up of the main site began with Old Mill and Decker Mill being sold, with the Murray Street block following in 1950, and the Bengal Street block in 1960. Old and Decker Mill were used as a warehouse after 1954 and later used by several clothing manufacturers.
Although some work was done to strengthen the structure in the 1960s, the complex was allowed to fall into disrepair. Also during the 1960s, some sections of the complex began to be left unoccupied and others burned down including an engine block. During this period, parts of the complex were used for light industrial use before they too fell into disuse. In the 1990s, the buildings fell victim to vandalism and arson that threatened to destroy what remained of the site.
to convert Fireproof and Doubling Mill into office space. On completion in 2003, the conversion received a RIBA
Award.
The North West Development Agency used a compulsory purchase order
to take control of the main site in 2003. This allowed the Heritage Lottery Fund
to give a £7.164M grant towards the restoration of the complex. Together with an additional grant from the North West Development Agency, a £10M regeneration project took place between 2004 and 2006. The project included repair and strengthening of the structure, the restoration of the canal basin, a new roof and windows, and the reinstatement of two missing floors from the Murray Street block.
On completion of the repairs, there have been further proposals to bring the complex back into use by converting it into flats and a hotel. The conversion, including the replacement of the demolished Bengal Street block, was expected to start in 2007 or 2008 and take three years. However, in July 2008 it emerged that due to the current state of the housing market, developer Inpartnership wanted to amend planning consent for the development, replacing plans for flats in Old and Decker Mills with office space.
. Although George Murray would not reveal working hours in the complex, it is likely that up until 1825 the workers had a similar work requirement as the 72 hour week demanded of workers at the neighbouring McConnel Kennedy complex. After 1825, the Cotton Mills Regulation Act reduced this to 69 hours – 12 hours per day on Monday to Friday and 9 hours on a Saturday. These hours were worked by all but the youngest employees.
The workers were allowed three breaks per day. In order to stop employees wandering off and taking breaks that they were not entitled to, tunnels were built under the road between the main complex and the later mills on the other side of Bengal Street.
The worst conditions in the mill were experienced by those at the bottom end of the pay-scale. The first stage of unpacking the raw cotton and cleaning out impurities, which was carried out by unskilled workers, produced large amounts of dust that was both a health hazard and serious fire risk. A visitor to the complex in 1832 described the dust as "almost suffocating".
On the spinning floors, the spinning process required a warm humid environment. George Murray stated that they tried to keep temperatures at around 24°C (75°F). Spinners were regarded as craftsman, and they were paid by the amount they produced. They were also left to recruit, train and pay their own assistants. These assistants were often children, and consisted of "piecers" who rejoined broken threads and mule scavenger
s who cleaned the machinery. Child labour was generally considered by mill managers as an important way of securing a skilled adult work force.
Compared to other trades, wages in cotton mills were relatively high. In 1833, the average earnings of an employee at the complex was 12 s (60p) per week. This also compared favourably with other mills. However, unlike some other mill owners the Murray's did not give employees credit to buy goods from company-owned stores, or provide housing for employees beyond key workers.
Despite all this, evidence suggests that conditions were better than in some other mills. The complex had opening windows, and an extra room per floor for workers to wash. The third break of the day, in the afternoon, was also a luxury that many workers in other mills did not receive. Furthermore, the Murrays also claimed that, unlike many other mill owners, they did not use pauper children
from workhouse
s, or knowingly employ children under the age of nine, although George Murray conceded that some parents did employ their own children below that age.
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 on land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
in the district of Ancoats
Ancoats
Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
, 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...
, England (grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
). The mills were built for brothers Adam and George Murray. A & G Murray was consistently one of the largest cotton-spinning firms in Manchester and the world. At its peak, the company employed around 1,000 people.
The first mill on the site, Old Mill, was begun in 1797. By 1806, the complex was the largest mill complex in the world. Today, it is the world's oldest surviving urban steam-powered cotton spinning factory. After Old Mill opened, the company continued to expand and prosper. Decker Mill was opened in 1802, New Mill in 1804, Little Mill in 1822, and Doubling and Fireproof Mill in 1842. The main complex formed a quadrangle which surrounded the complex's own private canal basin with a link under the road to the Rochdale Canal which opened in 1804. The canal basin was used to deliver raw cotton and coal and to transport spun cotton away from the complex.
In the 1898, A&G Murray became part of the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association Limited (FCSDA)
Fine Spinners and Doublers
Fine Spinners and Doublers was a major cotton spinning business based in Manchester, England. At its peak it was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange.-History:...
. The mill complex began to decline in the early 20th century as the canal basin was filled in and Little Mill burnt down. The mill was replaced with the earliest mill in Greater Manchester that was built to use mains electricity. The mill complex continued producing cotton until the 1950s. The mills were later leased out to other companies and in some cases allowed to fall into disrepair. Between 2000 and 2003, Urban Splash
Urban Splash
Urban Splash is a British company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses, mills, Victorian terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing...
redeveloped Fireproof and Doubling Mill into offices, winning a RIBA
Riba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
Award. The rest of the complex underwent a £17M regeneration between 2004 and 2006 and are proposed to be used as flats and a hotel.
Foundation and establishment
Spinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
of fine yarn. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the main market for Murrays' fine spun yarn was in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
especially in the muslin
Muslin
Muslin |sewing patterns]], such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.- Etymology and history :...
-weaving industry; along with McConnel & Kennedy, A & G Murray dominated the Scottish market. In 1790, Adam Murray leased land in Ancoats; in partnership with his brother George, Murray began construction of his first mill – which was generally complete by about 1798 – on the land he leased. The mill was probably originally designed to house equipment produced by the Murray brothers themselves. Originally known as Union Mill because of its position on Union Street, the Old Mill was a purpose-built steam-powered spinning mill. Construction would have taken approximately a year and millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
Thomas Lowe – who had worked on Richard Arkwright
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...
's first two factories – planned the building. It is eight storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
s high and was probably the first cotton-spinning factory to have been built that high. The first phase of the mill measured 105 feet (32 m) by 42 feet (12.8 m) and consisted of about 400,000 locally made bricks. The machinery in Old Mill was powered by a 12 horse power (hp), £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
620 Boulton and Watt
Boulton and Watt
The firm of Boulton & Watt was initially a partnership between Matthew Boulton and James Watt.-The engine partnership:The partnership was formed in 1775 to exploit Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser. This made much more efficient use of its fuel than the older Newcomen engine...
steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
.
Construction of the Murrays' second mill, Decker Mill, had begun by 1801 to the east of Old Mill. The mill was the same height as Old Mill and effectively doubled the size of the complex. Decker Mill was completed in time to exploit the economic boom in the cotton trade that followed the brief peace
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
in the war with France
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
from 1802–1803. During the construction of Decker Mill, the steam engine was replaced with another from Boulton and Watt, this time with 40 hp.
The construction of New Mill was probably completed in 1804, also. It measured 193 feet (58.8 m) by 46 feet (14 m) and as with the previous mills, New Mill was built eight storeys high. It was fitted with a 45 hp steam engines from Boulton and Watt. All three mills were steam-power cotton-spinning factories.
The complex was further extended with the addition of two four-storey blocks, one on Murray Street and the other on Bengal Street by 1806. These blocks where mainly used as warehouse and office space. An entrance archway in the Murray Street block provided the only access to the central courtyard, and in turn the buildings, which all had their entrances facing into the courtyard. This meant that access to all parts of the site could be controlled.
By 1806, the Murrays' Mills was the largest mill complex in Manchester and the world. With 84,000 mule spindles
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...
the complex was huge compared to other mills of the time, most of which had less than 10,000 spindles. The status of the complex was reflected in the amount of ornamentation on the Murray Street and Bengal Street blocks compared to other mills of the time. The Murray Street block had a symmetrical arrangement of arched doorways and windows. This pattern was in turn mirrored on the Bengal Street block, which had an arrangement of false doorways.
A & G Murray prospered during the early 19th century, and in 1809 the firm was valued at £20,456: 13% more than their nearest rival, McConnel & Kennedy, and more than double the firm in third place. The company has been described as "one of the largest cotton-spinning firms in Manchester, and probably the country". By 1815, they were employing 1,215 people.
Expansion
William Fairbairn
Sir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet was a Scottish civil engineer, structural engineer and shipbuilder.-Early career:...
and his partner James Lillie updated the complex. The contract, Fairbairn's first as a millwright, involved the replacement of line shafting in the complex, with wrought iron line-shafting designed to work at higher speeds. Adam Murray died in 1818 and his brother George continued to run the firm. By 1818, the firm had nearly tripled in value since 1809 to £59,000.
Additionally, the firm also expanded beyond Bengal Street further along the strip of land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal. Little Mill was built on the corner of Jersey Street and Bengal Street around 1822. It was originally six storeys high, but an additional three storeys were added at an unknown later date. The building covered 644 square metres (6,932 sq ft) and just over half of this area would have been occupied by a gasometer
Gasometer
A gas holder is a large container where natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a movable cap...
house which would have supplied the complex with gas used for lighting. The mill was linked to New Mill via a tunnel which may have carried the gas supply. Engineer Joshua Field
Joshua Field (engineer)
Joshua Field was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer.Field was born in Hackney in 1786, his father was John Field a corn and seed merchant who was later to become Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors...
visited the mill in 1821 and commented "they spin the finest thread". He also noted that the furnace which provided steam to drive the engines had been fitted with a "smoke burner" to "lessen the consumption of fuel", also having the effect of reducing the amount of smoke produced.
Despite the continued expansion, by 1824 competitors McConnel and Kennedy had overtaken the Murrays as Manchester's biggest cotton spinners. In 1833 A & G Murray were employing only 841 people, a reduction in workforce George Murray attributed to "recent improvement in the firm's machinery".
Beam 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...
. Doubling Mill was used for doubling – the process of combining two or more lengths of yarn into a single thread – cotton produced in the company's earlier mills, giving the mill its name. Fireproof Mill, again as its name suggests, was designed to be fireproof by using cast-iron beams and columns rather than timber; it was the first mill in the mill complex to have been built to resist fire. The mill is four storeys high and may have been used as a warehouse. The two new mills were also linked to the original complex by tunnels under Bengal Street. The firm "doubled more or less" in size during the early to mid nineteenth century and expanded into the fine yarn markets around Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, the growth of the firm led to the creation of the Doubling and Fireproof Mills.
In December 1852, the mill complex was valued at £75,000; when George Murray died in 1855, two of his three sons – James and Benjamin – inherited the complex. By 1881, A & G Murray had become registered as a limited liability company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
and the running of it was mostly in the hands of manager Herbert Dixon, who had joined the company in 1876, as the Murray family played less of a role. Under Dixon the company modernised and used new technology and was the reason for the firm's continued success. The use of new, more efficient technologies resulted in the further reduction of the workforce so that by 1897, A & G Murray only employed 500 people. In 1887, Fireproof Mill and Doubling Mill were leased by A & G Murray Ltd to C E Bennet.
In September 1898, A & G Murray was "voluntarily wound up and conveyed to the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association Limited (FCSDA)
Fine Spinners and Doublers
Fine Spinners and Doublers was a major cotton spinning business based in Manchester, England. At its peak it was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange.-History:...
". The association had been an idea on the part of Dixon and Scott Lings to form an association of cotton spinners. 31 other cotton spinners also joined the association. The association had the advantage of great size in comparison to the competition, and had the necessary clout to secure raw materials. With Dixon as its Managing Director until 1917, by the 1920s, the FCSDA was the largest and most successful cotton-spinning association in the world with over 60 mills and 30,000 employees.
Mains electricity
Mains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...
. The building is the earliest mill 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...
that was built to use mains electricity.
Decline and later use
An 1891 Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map shows that the arm on the Rochdale Canal had been filled in and the complex's canal basin had been retitled as a reservoir, suggesting that the canal had ceased to be used as a way of transporting goods to and from the complex. By 1902, the canal basin had been filled in, however exactly when it was filled in is unknown.
Between 1902 and 1903, Old and Decker Mills were reduced in height by 1 storey to 7 storeys and New Mill was reduced in height by 2 storeys to 6 storeys. The exact reason for this reduction is unknown, however, it is speculated that the structure of the buildings was struggling to cope with the weight of increasingly heavy machinery. This theory is given added weight by the fact that at around the same time the timber beams used to support ceilings were replaced with steel beams to strengthen the building. In 1930 the Bengal Street block was also reduced in height by 2 storeys and buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es were constructed against the south wall of Decker Mill.
By the 1940s Fireproof Mill and Doubling Mill were occupied by a bedding manufacturer. In 1948, the break-up of the main site began with Old Mill and Decker Mill being sold, with the Murray Street block following in 1950, and the Bengal Street block in 1960. Old and Decker Mill were used as a warehouse after 1954 and later used by several clothing manufacturers.
Although some work was done to strengthen the structure in the 1960s, the complex was allowed to fall into disrepair. Also during the 1960s, some sections of the complex began to be left unoccupied and others burned down including an engine block. During this period, parts of the complex were used for light industrial use before they too fell into disuse. In the 1990s, the buildings fell victim to vandalism and arson that threatened to destroy what remained of the site.
Redevelopment
In 2000, Total Architecture appointed Urban SplashUrban Splash
Urban Splash is a British company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses, mills, Victorian terraced houses and other buildings. These buildings have mainly been converted into housing...
to convert Fireproof and Doubling Mill into office space. On completion in 2003, the conversion received a RIBA
Riba
Riba means one of the senses of "usury" . Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin...
Award.
The North West Development Agency used a compulsory purchase order
Compulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...
to take control of the main site in 2003. This allowed the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
to give a £7.164M grant towards the restoration of the complex. Together with an additional grant from the North West Development Agency, a £10M regeneration project took place between 2004 and 2006. The project included repair and strengthening of the structure, the restoration of the canal basin, a new roof and windows, and the reinstatement of two missing floors from the Murray Street block.
On completion of the repairs, there have been further proposals to bring the complex back into use by converting it into flats and a hotel. The conversion, including the replacement of the demolished Bengal Street block, was expected to start in 2007 or 2008 and take three years. However, in July 2008 it emerged that due to the current state of the housing market, developer Inpartnership wanted to amend planning consent for the development, replacing plans for flats in Old and Decker Mills with office space.
Working conditions
Like many factories of the nineteenth century, the complex was not without criticism for its working conditionsFactory life during the industrial revolution
-Punishments:Children were sometimes hit with a whip to make them work faster. In some factories, children's heads were dipped into cisterns if they became drowsy and sleepy. Children were also punished for arriving late for work or for talking to the other children and adults who were working....
. Although George Murray would not reveal working hours in the complex, it is likely that up until 1825 the workers had a similar work requirement as the 72 hour week demanded of workers at the neighbouring McConnel Kennedy complex. After 1825, the Cotton Mills Regulation Act reduced this to 69 hours – 12 hours per day on Monday to Friday and 9 hours on a Saturday. These hours were worked by all but the youngest employees.
The workers were allowed three breaks per day. In order to stop employees wandering off and taking breaks that they were not entitled to, tunnels were built under the road between the main complex and the later mills on the other side of Bengal Street.
The worst conditions in the mill were experienced by those at the bottom end of the pay-scale. The first stage of unpacking the raw cotton and cleaning out impurities, which was carried out by unskilled workers, produced large amounts of dust that was both a health hazard and serious fire risk. A visitor to the complex in 1832 described the dust as "almost suffocating".
On the spinning floors, the spinning process required a warm humid environment. George Murray stated that they tried to keep temperatures at around 24°C (75°F). Spinners were regarded as craftsman, and they were paid by the amount they produced. They were also left to recruit, train and pay their own assistants. These assistants were often children, and consisted of "piecers" who rejoined broken threads and mule scavenger
Mule scavenger
Scavengers were employed in 18th and 19th century cotton mills to clean and recoup the area underneath a spinning mule. The cotton wastage that gathered on the floor was seen as too valuable for the owners to leave and one of the simplest solutions was to employ young children to work under the...
s who cleaned the machinery. Child labour was generally considered by mill managers as an important way of securing a skilled adult work force.
Compared to other trades, wages in cotton mills were relatively high. In 1833, the average earnings of an employee at the complex was 12 s (60p) per week. This also compared favourably with other mills. However, unlike some other mill owners the Murray's did not give employees credit to buy goods from company-owned stores, or provide housing for employees beyond key workers.
Despite all this, evidence suggests that conditions were better than in some other mills. The complex had opening windows, and an extra room per floor for workers to wash. The third break of the day, in the afternoon, was also a luxury that many workers in other mills did not receive. Furthermore, the Murrays also claimed that, unlike many other mill owners, they did not use pauper children
Pauper apprentice
Pauper apprentices in England and Wales were the children of paupers who were bound out by the local parish overseers and churchwardens. Some had to travel long distances to serve in the factories of the industrial revolution, but the majority served their terms within a few miles of their...
from workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
s, or knowingly employ children under the age of nine, although George Murray conceded that some parents did employ their own children below that age.
Current buildings
| Name | Completed | Listed | Location | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decker Mill | 1802 | Grade II* | Redhill Street | Listed with Old Mill. Decker Mill is listed on the Buildings at Risk Register, rating its condition as "poor". | |
| Doubling Mill and Fireproof Mill | 1842 | Grade II* | Redhill Street | Also known as Waulk Mill | |
| New Little Mill | 1908 | Grade II | Jersey Street | Replaced earlier mill from around 1820. The earliest mill in Greater Manchester that was built to use mains electricity. | |
| Mill building | 1804 | Grade II* | Jersey Street | ||
| New Mill | 1804 | Grade II* | Jersey Street | New Mill is listed on the Buildings at Risk Register, rating its condition as "poor". | |
| Old Mill | 1798 | Grade II* | Redhill Street | Listed with Decker Mill. Is the earliest surviving mill in Manchester. Also known as Union Mill. Old Mill is listed on the Buildings at Risk Register, rating its condition as "poor". | |
| Warehouse and office block | 1806 | Grade II | Murray Street |
See also
- CottonopolisCottonopolisCottonopolis denotes a metropolis of cotton and cotton mills. It was inspired by Manchester, in England, and its status as the international centre of the cotton and textile processing industries during the 19th century...
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Royal MillRoyal MillRoyal Mill, which is located on the corner of Redhill Street and Henry Street, Ancoats, in Manchester, England, is an early twentieth century cotton mill, one of the last of "an internationally important group of cotton-spinning mills" sited in East Manchester. Royal Mill was constructed in 1912...
- Beehive MillBeehive MillBeehive Mill is a Grade II* listed former cotton mill in the district of Ancoats, Manchester, England. It is located at on a site surrounded by Radium Street, Jersey Street, Bengal Street and Naval Street....