Wear Mill, Stockport
Encyclopedia
Wear Mill was an integrated cotton works
on the Cheadle Heath
bank of the River Mersey
in Stockport
, Greater Manchester
, in England. It was started around 1790 and added to, particularly in 1831 and 1884.
In 1840, the Stockport Viaduct
was built over the river and over Wear Mill.
and the River Goyt. The turnpike
to Manchester
was 200 m to the east.
s and attached weaving sheds, one destroyed by fire in 1831 and the other rebuilt in 1884. Thomas Fernley bought the mill in 1824, and in 1831 needed to replace one mill with a new one that was of fireproof construction. This mill was eleven bays long and six storeys high. The floors were sprung on transverse brick arches supported on cast iron columns. It was driven by a beam engine in a internal engine house to the east of the mill. It was over this engine house that the Manchester and Birmingham Railway
built the Stockport Viaduct
in 1840, and again when it widened in 1880. The second mill was replaced in 1884, but not the original wheelhouse. It is a five storey, 15 bay mill of fireproof construction with narrow longitudinal vaults springing from iron joints. The original weaving sheds have been replaced with two storey structures, creating a complex site.
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....
on the Cheadle Heath
Cheadle Heath
Cheadle Heath is a suburban area of Stockport, part of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is approximately west of Stockport's town centre and southeast of the city of Manchester....
bank of the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, 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. It was started around 1790 and added to, particularly in 1831 and 1884.
In 1840, the Stockport Viaduct
Stockport Viaduct
The Stockport Viaduct is a large brick-built bridge which carries a main railway line across the valley of the River Mersey, inStockport, Greater Manchester .Designed by George Watson Buck and completed in 1840, the viaduct is high...
was built over the river and over Wear Mill.
Location
The original water powered Wear Mill was built on the southern bank of the River Mersey, 500 m from it source's at the confluence on the River TameRiver Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
and the River Goyt. The turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
to 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...
was 200 m to the east.
History
The first record of a mill on this site was when John Collier, a cotton manufacturer built a mill on this site in 1790. It was water powered. The mill probably consisted of two multi-storey spinning millCotton 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 attached weaving sheds, one destroyed by fire in 1831 and the other rebuilt in 1884. Thomas Fernley bought the mill in 1824, and in 1831 needed to replace one mill with a new one that was of fireproof construction. This mill was eleven bays long and six storeys high. The floors were sprung on transverse brick arches supported on cast iron columns. It was driven by a beam engine in a internal engine house to the east of the mill. It was over this engine house that the Manchester and Birmingham Railway
Manchester and Birmingham Railway
The Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between Manchester and Crewe and opened in stages from 1840. Between Crewe and Birmingham, trains were worked by the Grand Junction Railway...
built the Stockport Viaduct
Stockport Viaduct
The Stockport Viaduct is a large brick-built bridge which carries a main railway line across the valley of the River Mersey, inStockport, Greater Manchester .Designed by George Watson Buck and completed in 1840, the viaduct is high...
in 1840, and again when it widened in 1880. The second mill was replaced in 1884, but not the original wheelhouse. It is a five storey, 15 bay mill of fireproof construction with narrow longitudinal vaults springing from iron joints. The original weaving sheds have been replaced with two storey structures, creating a complex site.
Owners
- John Collier
- Thomas Fernley
- Fine Cotton Spinners & Doublers LtdFine Spinners and DoublersFine 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:...