Ashworth Mill, Carr Woods, Near Nordon, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Located near to School Lane in Carr Woods, near Norden, Rochdale (National Grid Reference SD 85441349) are the ruins of Ashworth fulling mill. A three-storey section of the ruined mill wall has survived the ravages of two hundred years or so and stands, now rather forlornly, beside the Naden Brook and its mill lodges and waterfalls between The Rake and School Lane (deep in the ravine beneath where the lane goes over the Naden Brook). Ashworth Mill was probably built in the early 1800s, if not some years before that, and by 1816 it had been rebuilt. One Edmund Ashworth was employed at the mill as a fuller in 1808. During the 1840s and up until the 1890s it was still a fulling mill, but by the early 1900s it had closed down and thereafter became derelict. Along with the extensive ruins and foundations of the old mill there are some parts of the old machinary, including waterwheel and winding gear-wheel for the weir, etc. Access to the mill was between Waterloo Farm and The Rake - just before the bridge!

H.D.Clayton writing in 1979 tells us more: "A little further upstream, on the opposite bank, are the extensive ruins of Ashworth Fulling Mill still in part standing three storeys high. In 1816 it is mentioned as being newly erected. On the ground lies a wooden driving shaft with pinions on each end. It appearsto be the main driving shaft from the waterwheel and to consist of a whole tree trunk. The stream was fed into two lodges and a very high stone weir constructed so that an imposing waterfall is the result."

A.V.Sandiford & T.E.Ashworth writing in 1981/1992 tell us about the process of fulling cloth:"Fulling is a process by which woollen cloth is subjected to heat, moisture and pressure such that the scaliness of the fibres became locked together and 'felting' is induced. In earliest times, as the curious murals of Pompeii confirm, fulling was achieved by the trampling of the cloth underfoot, hence the name Walker. But his strenous task was eventually replaced by the fulling stocks where the cloth was placed in a semicircular trough containing a solution of fullers earth, a colloidal substance which aided the fulling or felting action. Here it was pounded by heavy beech head hammers operated from a cam on a rotating shaft, which drove the fabric forward and round in the trough until the treatment was complete. Cloths varied in the amount of shrinkage according to the construction of the yarn and weave and even depending on the breed of sheep from which the wool came. The fulling stocks were probably one of the first steps in the mechanisation of textile manufactureand the term 'fulling miller' suggests that in the early days perhapsthe corn miller with sufficient capital to buy a set of stocks and the possession of a good watermill could turn to fulling as an alternative or even supplementary occupation. The ambitious fuller would often choose to extend his service to carding, bleaching and dyeing, processes not suited to the domestic system, and this was clearly the case at Cheesden Lumb Mill."

Not a great deal is known about the history of Ashworth fulling mill. It employed people from the valley and probably a bit further afield. The mill was built by the Ashworth family who were the landowners thereabouts; their Estate was said to be around 1,000 acres and was mainly pasture land. The Ashworth family ran the Ashworth fulling mill from the early 1800s and they also built and ran another mill at Lower Clough. Jonathan Ashworth of Ashworth fulling mill being described as 'a guardian of the poor' in 1867. The Ashworth family lived at Upper Clough Farm - said to date back to 1636. The Ashworth's are buried in the graveyard at St James' Chapel on Chapel Lane overlooking Carr Woods.

Sources & References:-

Photo of Ashworth Mill, Carr Woods, by David Dixon (Creative Commons) https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1679361

Clayton, H. D., A History of Ashworth near Rochdale, 1979.

Sandiford A. V., & Ashworth T. E., The Forgotten Valley, Bury and District Local History Society, 1981 & 2000.

Copyright © RayS57, 2023

Ashworth Colliery (Ridd Pit) on Ashworth Road, near Norden, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Ashworth Colliery was located on the Ashworth Road opposite Ridd Cottages on School Lane (SD 84960 13545), near Norden, Rochdale. Also known as Ridd Pit but some other coal mines were also on that same site: including Wheel pit, Flash Lane pit, Crawstone Rake pit, Tramping Cat pit and Engine Pit. The Ridd shaft was a deep pit, while the others were perhaps drift mines; the coal seams and tunnels apparently running in all directions and, even as far as Norden! It was operational from before 1845 until its closure in 1898. Many local men and boys would have worked down the pit here at Ashworth during the mid 19th century, but, very sadly some never come to the surface again as there were tragic disasters underground. In 1842 an Act of Parliament brought an end, for the most part, to child labour in the coal mines. There is nothing much to see of the Ashworth Pit today, apart from the capped-off pit shaft, a grassy mound, and some large stones which lie in the grassy field adjacent to Ashworth Road. (The photo below shows a drift mine in the Ashworth Valley in 1890. It is probably one of the pits at Ashworth Colliery.)

H. D. Clayton writing in 1979 says: "The whole Ashworth area was riddled with coal mines; many were drift mines cut into the hillside; others. like Ridd pit on Ashworth Road, were deep pits with winding gear operated by a steam engine. The inhabitants of Moss Row in Norden were perturbed to hears miners cutting coal beneath their homes when the pit head was a mile away. The chimney of this pit was only felled recently and the huge stones of the engine bed can still be seen. The coal from the drift mines below Ashworth Hall was carried to a weighbridge at Guelder Clough by a tramway laid along the bank of the Naden Brook, where the path now runs. Although for years naked candles were used by the miners for light, explosion and fire do not seem to have been a hazard. The rock is permeated by underground streams and water was the chief danger, as evidenced by the two disasters at Birtle in 1852 and 1884, when two mines were flooded." (The photo below shows the site of Ashworth Colliery marked by a red arrow).

Sandiford & Ashworth writing in 1981 say: "There were several more pits to the south where the glacial valley cut deeply across a number of coal measures whose names, like Sand Rock Mine and Six Inch, arose from their location rather than their character. They were not, however, broad seams, the former being about one foot nine inches while the latter was about one foot. To mine such narrow seams it was necessary to remove part of the adjacent seat earth and it was suggested that this by-product may have promoted the operation of a pottery which stood at one time close to the present Ashworth Reservoir House.

"The position of the measures, inclined across the direction of the valley, meant that the drift mine was common, where the coal was worked progressively from the point at which it emerged on the surface or was approached by means of a passage or adit rather than a shaft. As the measures frequently sloped downwards and the entrances were often on the side of the hill, there was the constant problem of flooding. The danger was greater where flooding occured in disused workings and there have been several instances where miners have accidentally broken into these workings and have been swept away by the released water. Such was the case at Birtle Coal Pit situated some 400 yards from the Pack Horse Inn in Elbut Lane.

Northern Mines Research Society website gives the following: "The shafts at this colliery, three kilometres north of Heywood, were 122 metres deep to the Mountain Mine. It was being worked by Robert Lees, James Greenwood & James Lord in 1854. The same people probably comprised the Ashworth Coal Co. which had the colliery in 1855. Members of the Stott family owned Ashworth from 1859 to 1880. The Ashworth Colliery Co. Ltd worked it from 1885 until 1898, when it was abandoned. In the latter period, 40 persons worked underground, with seven on the surface."

References & Related Websites:-

Clayton H. D., A History of Ashworth near Rochdale, Ashworth Hall, Rochdale, 1979.

Cole, John & Fish, Grahame, Beyond Heywood, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, 1978?

Sandiford, A. V & Ashwoth T. E., The Forgotten Valley, Bury and District Local History Society, 2000.

https://www.nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/coal-mining-in-the-british-isles/lancashire-coalfield/rochdale-oldham-coalfield/ashworth-colliery-pre-1854-1898/

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/captain-fold-pit-disaster-1139413

Copyright © RayS57, 2021

Ashworth Fold, Near Heywood, Greater Manchester

From Simpson Clough Ashworth Road curves round the valley and further along is Ashworth Fold at (SD 85021325), a hamlet made up of a couple of farms dating from the 17th-18th century, some cottages of a similar date, and a 16th-17th century hall that has an old inscribed stone and sundial in its garden. The hall had been abandoned for a time, but it has now been made into three cottages. Ashworth Fold is roughly situated halfway between Heywood and Norden, in Greater Manchester. Ashworth as a place-name probably means 'Ash-trees beside a farm'. The Naden Brook flows from Simpson Clough through Ashworth Fold and then on into Carr Woods. A bit further along the road there was Ridd Pit or Ashworth Pit, but this closed down in 1898 and hardly anything now remains, apart from the old capped shaft. Opposite where this coal pit used to be are the very pitcheresque Ridd Cottages on School Lane and the old School house just beyond, which is now St James' parish rooms.

H.D.Clayton writing in 1979 says:- "The fold is the only group of buildings in Ashworth and consists of the Hall, two farms, four cottages and the estate workshops. It is a Grade 2 group in the list of Buildings of Architectural or Historic Interest and is descri-bed as 'a group of buildings, mainly stone, 17th and 18th century. The siting of the group, and features such as a late Gothic doorway, a massive studded oak door, a stone segmented archway, an attractive parapet and finial, a stone stile, a range of low stone mullioned windows and areas of cobbles, combine to produce a very attractive composition. All in same style, barns with loop lights.' The mullioned windows have disappeared, but the well-built stone pigsties could have been mentioned. It is not known when the Fold was built and the only clue was a date stone 1601 R.H., which used to be on a stone pedestal placed on the ridge of the roof of Ashworth Hall farm building.

"There must have been a house on the site of the Hall from very early times and one massive stone gable end, possibly 15th century, still stands. Some time later this house was greatly enlarged to form a mansion, half-timbered lath and plaster, with a wing of three gables running back to the road, and forming a courtyard with the present two cottages and farm buildings. At the entrance was a square tower and wicket gate, and, on the other side of the house, a rose garden terrace, orchard and ornamental pond. At a later date the wing and tower were removed and the half-timbered walls replaced with hand made bricks. The original stone built house with mullion windows was left intact, although the mullions have since been removed".

Clayton goes on to say: "Rev. D. Rathbone recorded how the hall appeared about 1830: 'The Hall still retains its aspiring site, its gables still peep from the woods that environ it, but much has been destroyed, and the strong stone-built gateway with its massive doors and wicket gatestands alone; the eastern side of the quadrangle is gone, and nothing now remains but that southern portion which fronts the dilapidated terrace with its moat and hanging garden. A hundred yew trees, tradition says, once grew in stately avenues or in sombre groups around the deserted house of many generations, but only a few survive; they stand single and forlorn. The ruins of Ashworth Hall afford a pleasing specimen of that style of domestic architecture which has in its many peculiarities a distinction and beauty which bore the antiquarian and the lover of the picturesque gives it a more than ordinary character of interest. Nothing remains to guide us as to its age, but, judging from general appearance, we should not hesitate to affix a date at least coeval with the Wars of the Roses. Parts of the building may be more ancient, for there is a diversity of style and character.'

"Two thirds of the Hall was let to the Vicar at a nominal rent and the remainder was the farmhouse for the Hall Farm. A stream ran under this portion of the house and beneath the floor a small waterwheel provided power as required. In the garden are a large upright stone inscribed 'R.H. 1685' for Richard Holt and an undated sundial on a graceful stone pedestal. Although much altered from the age of the horse, when chain horses were kept at Guelder Clough to help carts up the hills, and the large open space in the Fold was covered with grass, with a stone trough in the middle, overhung with a large cherry treeand seat for gossip, the Fold is still picturesque and beloved by artists."

Clayton, H.D., A History of Ashworth near Rochdale, Ashworth Hall, Rochdale, 1979. The two images (above) are taken from this book.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1084283

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1084285

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2017/04/north-heritage.html

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2016/11/mines.html

https://www.realrochdale.co.uk/editions/spring-2020/take-a-walk-in-ashworth-valley/

Copyright © RayS57, 2021 >

Around Wind Hill (Cheesden) near Rochdale

OS Grid Reference: SD 83262 14945. In a farmer’s field at the side of Ashworth road, Cheesden, near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, is Wind Hill Cairn, dating from the Beaker Period of the Bronze Age. Now it is nothing more than a low, grassy mound at either side of the more recent drystone wall. The cairn stands at the north side of Wind Hill, 298m above sea-level and overlooking Knowl Moor, with Knowl Hill itself rising over to the east beyond Edenfield road. A little further down the lane is Ashworth Moor Reservoir and, on the opposite side of Edenfield Road, is the famous Owd Betts public house. The cairn is in a damaged condition due partly, at its north-side, to farming, but on its south-side there is less damage and has, therefore, kept its circular identity. There is a footpath heading east across Wind Hill from Ashworth road, just above Wind Hill farm and the wind turbine, but the cairn is partly on private land (at its northern-side) where there is a locked metal gate next to the wall – beside the Ashworth road.

Originally Wind Hill Bronze Age cairn had a diameter of 10.45m (34 feet) and a height of 0.75m (2-3 feet) but it is now less than that due to destruction at its N side. According to the ‘Lancashire Archaeological Bulletin’ (1984) with the primary reference: Tyson, N (1972) at the end of the excavations by Bury Archaeological Group between 1968-72: this is a ruined cairn with a kerb of horizontal slabs. There was an opening to the E which was 6 feet wide with a subrectangular area outside that was defined by inward-leaning slabs that are further enclosed by a “satellite kerb”. Both of these kerbs were finally concealed. No grave pits were found, but at the cairn’s centre a flint knife, pebble hammer and a V-bored ‘jet’ button were discovered. Further to this information: there was a cist of sand-stones at the E side. The central and W parts of the cairn were denuded; the E and S sides were in a better condition and still visible. The dry-stone wall running in a straight-line through the middle of the mound ‘was’ dug deep into the structure, causing further destruction, and some of the stonework from the cist may have ended up in the wall itself, or could still be in ‘situ’ in the mound?

In 1905 a Late Bronze Age socketed axe (palstave) was dug up by workmen building the Ash-worth Moor Reservoir, just along the road from Wind Hill cairn. There have also been a number of archaeological finds on Knowl Moor and on Knowl Hill itself including arrowheads in a variety of shapes: lozenge, leaf, stemmed and barbed, and many flints in varying sizes and a thumbstone. It would seem, though, that these finds have not originated from ‘settlements’, but from pre-historic man simply roaming the higher ground above the forested areas beside the river Roch – where today we see the highly populated towns of Rochdale, Heywood and Bury. On Hamer Hill (Rooley Moor) above the town of Rochdale – some recumbent stones were recently discovered which has led archaeologists to consider the distinct possibility that they form a stone circle, and on nearby Hunger Hill there are possible burial mounds. There have also been a number of coin finds from the Roman period in the Rochdale and Heywood areas.

Sources & References:-

https://thejournalofantiquities.com/2017/03/29/wind-hill-cairn-cheesden-near-rochdale-greater-manchester/

http://www.buryarchaeologicalgroup.co.uk/windhill.html

Lancashire Archaeological Bulletin, Vol 10, No. 2/3, May & July, 1984.

Tyson, N., A Bronze Age Cairn at Wind Hill, Heywood, Lancs. Bury Archaeological Group, 1972.

Copyright © RayS57 2017.

Around The Ashworth Valley

Please join me for a ramble through the Ashworth Valley, near Norden, Rochdale. We will walk through the valley itself, which takes in Chapel Lane, School Lane, Carr Woods, Coal Bank mill and Black Pits chimney. On the way there we will take a look at photos showing the ruins of what was once a rich and thriving industrial area - in particular we will look at Coal Bank mill and bleach works in Carr Woods, where the lovely Naden Brook flows, in what is now a very picturesque place, hidden deep inside the woods and where old industrial ruins merge in with the flora and fauna - as if time has stood still even though the industrial revolution and Coal Bank mill have been almost obliterated from what is now a "very" tranquil place.
                                                                         

Our little ramble starts at St James' Church on Chapel Lane (SJ8506 1390). The chapel dates from the early 1500s, being built by the Holt family of Ashworth Hall for their tenents. Go past the pub (Egerton Arms, now a private house) and turn left onto Ashworth Road and then left again onto School Lane to look at Ridd Cottages and the old school/parish hall. The tiny school-house was built by Wilbraham Egerton in 1838 for the Ashworth Estate. It closed in 1900. Today it is St James' parish hall. Carry on along School Lane to Carr Woods. At the bridge over the Naden Brook notice a gated driveway on the right-hand side. Here was the entrance to the former Carr Woods tea rooms (now a private residence). Now go back up the lane a bit and take the footpath on the right- hand side (between the two gates) and walk along here through the woods beside the steep-sided, precarious bank along which the Naden brook flows. Follow this path, which is a former tramway, for half a mile until you reach a modern curved wooden bridge. Here Mill Croft brook joins the Naden brook at Wolstenholme Fold, near Norden.

Here at Coal Bank in Fester Clough (Ordnance Survey Grid Reference: SD 85592 14167) we have now reached the objective of our ramble the site of a cotton-spinning mill beside the Naden brook. Although the cotton spinning mill-cum-bleach-works has been almost obliterated - if you look closely you can still find the ruins of this one-time industrial enclave. In the 19th century the place began life as a cotton spinning mill, but in the late 19th century the mill became  a bleach works.  Then in the early part of the 20th century the works closed down for good after a fire consumed the building in 1916. Much of the mill building was then pulled down and great quantities of the stonework taken away to local places. Part of a wall still stands as do the foundations of buildings, including the lodge? The Coal Bank mill chimney has recently been pulled down and the site levelled somewhat in order to make way for new pathways and modern wooden bridges - and to make a nice place to stroll and enjoy one's self in this peaceful place.

Now follow the path across the little bridge and turn to the left in the direction of the Black Pits Chimney and the Norden bus terminus. The very tall chimney is, now very sadly, all that remains of the Black Pits cotton-spinning mill that had flourished during the 19th and the early 20th century. A new modern housing estate now fills this once thriving industrial valley along which flows the Naden brook. Notice also a spring of water flowing into a water trough at the side of the footpath; this would have been used by thirsty horses pulling carts along the cobbled trackway. We now reach the end of our ramble.

                                       

Copyright © RayS57, 2012 (Updated 2023).

Ruined chimney at the Coal Bank cotton-spinning mill in Carr Woods about 1980.

The Coal Bank cotton-spinning mill complex beside the Naden brook, in Carr Woods, near Norden, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which is also known as Fester Clough at Ordnance Survey Grid Reference: SD 85592 14167  came into use in the 1800s, but, then later it became a bleach works - one of many in this area - such as for example the Deeply Vale Mills. The Coal Bank mill finally closed down in the early part of the 20th century.The photo (above) shows the old brick chimney belonging to the works, which was, sadly, pulled down in 2006.

This colour photo shows the cobbled and flagged walkway over the Naden brook at the site of Coal Bank mill in Carr Woods (Wolstenholme Fold), near Norden. The photo is from the 1980s when the place was being tidied up. Some of the ruins still quite visible at either side of the path and brook.

A rough map drawn by myself, from memory, in the late 1970s of Carr Woods showing where the Coal Bank mill was located and the ruined chimney etc. I have put the ruined buildings on to show the probable likely location, again from memory. [Map not to scale]

Map showing the general area of Carr Woods with the site of the Coal Bank mill/works roughly in the centre just to the left of the old mill chimney where the Naden brooks flows merrily along in the direction of Norden.