Royal Mill
Encyclopedia
Royal 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 on part of the site of the earlier McConnel & Kennedy mills
, established in 1798. It was originally called New Old Mill and was re-named following a royal visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1942. A plaque commemorates the occasion. The Ancoats mills collectively comprise "the best and most complete surviving examples of early large-scale factories concentrated in one area".
and McConnells. Historically this area of Manchester had used the waters of the Shooters Brook to power the waterwheels on Salvins Factory and the New Islington Mill. The Rochdale Canal
runs alongside the street and the mill. Originally used for transport, the canal had provided water to Murrays and McConnells for the condensors of their steam engines
.
and terracotta. It had cast iron
columns supporting by transverse steel
beams and reinforced concrete
floors. Initially both were built as 5 storey, though eventually 6 storey, 9 bay mills. The machines were electrically group driven. The electricity supply was provided by the corporation and a new substation was built in 1915.
Royal Mill, and its companion Paragon Mill, are "six storey and nine bay buildings designed to house electrically-powered mules, the first generation of those purpose built for electricity."
After decades of neglect and decay, a restoration scheme costing £65 million was announced by ING Real Estate in 2003, which would see the building converted for use as flats, offices and shops. The work received an award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
in 2007, and began to be occupied in 2008. Some of the original features have been retained, including the exposed brickwork and items of mill machinery.
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....
, in 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, 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 on part of the site of the earlier McConnel & Kennedy mills
McConnel & Kennedy mills
McConnel & Kennedy Mills are a group of cotton mills on Redhill Street in Ancoats, Manchester, England. With the adjoining Murrays' Mills, they form a nationally important group.-The Mills:*Old Mill 1797*Long Mill 1801*Sedgewick Mill, 1818–1820...
, established in 1798. It was originally called New Old Mill and was re-named following a royal visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1942. A plaque commemorates the occasion. The Ancoats mills collectively comprise "the best and most complete surviving examples of early large-scale factories concentrated in one area".
Location
Redhill Street in Manchester was home to two large spinning companies, A&G Murray LtdMurrays' Mills
Murrays' Mills is a complex of former cotton mills on land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal in the district of Ancoats, Manchester, England . 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 McConnells. Historically this area of Manchester had used the waters of the Shooters Brook to power the waterwheels on Salvins Factory and the New Islington Mill. 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....
runs alongside the street and the mill. Originally used for transport, the canal had provided water to Murrays and McConnells for the condensors of their steam engines
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...
.
History
McConnells had joined Fine Spinners and Doublers Association Ltd in 1898. In 1910 it was investing again, and rebuilt two mills and was experimenting with electricity.The building
The New Old Mill like the Paragon Mill was built in the Edwardian Baroque style by H. S. Porter using Accrington brickAccrington brick
Accrington bricks, or NORIs were a type of iron hard engineering brick, produced in Huncoat, Accrington, Lancashire, England from 1887 to 2008...
and terracotta. It had cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns supporting by transverse steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
beams and reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
floors. Initially both were built as 5 storey, though eventually 6 storey, 9 bay mills. The machines were electrically group driven. The electricity supply was provided by the corporation and a new substation was built in 1915.
Listing
The mill has been a Grade II* listed building since 11 November 1988.Royal Mill, and its companion Paragon Mill, are "six storey and nine bay buildings designed to house electrically-powered mules, the first generation of those purpose built for electricity."
After decades of neglect and decay, a restoration scheme costing £65 million was announced by ING Real Estate in 2003, which would see the building converted for use as flats, offices and shops. The work received an award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....
in 2007, and began to be occupied in 2008. Some of the original features have been retained, including the exposed brickwork and items of mill machinery.