The Story of Milkstone, Near Rochdale, in Greater Manchester.

Milkstone was a small community near Rochdale, just to the south of the town centre. It is now more or less only the name of a road near Deeplish. Milkstone became a thriving weaving community from around 1840. The place-name of Milkstone is obviously derived from the stone tables upon which farmers would place their milk churns to be collected or rested before being collected by horse and cart. These stone tables or milkstones were usually two upright stones with a long stone slab placed on top; sometimes they were wooden tables. Some of these milk-stone tables still stand at the entrance to farms, but they are growing scarcer now, as are the wooden milk tables, which tended to rot away and collapse. And now the milk churns themselves, which stood on top of the stone tables, are now collectors items - and some even antiques!

The Wikipedia website says: "In Britain, milk churns would be left by dairy farmers by the roadside on purpose-built platforms, or stands, at the right height to be loaded on to the dairy's cart or lorry. They fell out of use when milk began to be collected by tanker from the farm and ceased entirely by 1979. Some stands remain in the countryside as historical features, but most have been dismantled or left to decay."

John Cole in his 1988 local history book 'Rochdale Revisited - A Town And Its People', says that:

"Edwin Waugh, the Lancashire dialect poet, believed that the area known as Milkstone got its name in or around 1645, during the Great Plague. According to Waugh, the inhabitants wanted to keep strangers away from Rochdale to mini-mise the risk of contagion, and various "plague stones" or milkstones, were set up to serve the outlying areas. William Robertson, the journalist and historian, disagreed with this dramatic interpretation. Of an earlier stone at Sparth, Robertson states: "Mr Walmsley who owned a large tract of land in Castleton, was the first to erect stone tables on which women could rest their cans of milk." These stone tables "consisted of two upright flags, with another lying across" and a similar stone, on the ancient route to Oldham, lent its name to the area - Milkstone.

Birtle Dene Mill, near Bury, Greater Manchester.

There is nothing much, if anything, left of Birtle Dene Cotton spinning mill in the lower Cheesden Valley today. But, back in the 19th century it was a thriving manufacturing establishment, even though it was located well away from the towns of Bury and Rochdale, making it difficult to reach for the workers who came from the local towns and villages down in the valley, especially in the Winter months. Some workers were even persuaded to up-sticks and come from other parts of the country to work at Birtle (Bircle) Dene Mill. It was back in 1824 that industrial entrepeneur Mr Thomas Rams-bottom built his spinning mill at Birtle Dene. Thomas and his brother John had earlier built a mill at Harwood Fields in the nearby town of Bury, and, they owned three coal mines in the vicinity of Birtle Dene. To reach the mill one had to walk the two or three miles up Elbut Lane and Birtle Road, and then on up to the mill where the industrial revolution seemed to have arrived at breakneck speed by the early 19th century, and, at which time the Ramsbottom family had 'secured their place in cotton spinning history'. The mill finally closed in 1894-5. OS Grid Ref: SD 83261345. I'm just thinking here - would Birtle Dene Mill have been called Mr Tom's by its workers?

H.D.Clayton says of Birtle Dene Mill: "This was a large establishment, owned by the Ramsbottoms for most of its life, and consisting of a four-storey spinning mill and a weaving shed, lit by their own gas. It was driven by a large waterwheel and auxiliary engine. Lying at the foot of a steep hill, access was difficult down a winding road on which were two rows of cottages with their backs to the hill, so that only front doors could be provided. A windlass was used to haul goods up and down the hillside to the top road and the same procedure was adopted for coal from a nearby pit. When the boiler was installed the mill had a day's holiday, owing to the danger of the boiler falling on the mill as it was lowered down the hillside. When the mill closed towards the end of the 19th century, the boiler was removed and hauled up the hill by a large team of horses."

Sandiford & Ashworth (2000) tell us that: Beyond Deeply Vale the Cheesden Brook wanders across a broad plain flanked on either side by steep hills. Here there are no mills but it is as if the valley chooses to pause before making its final and perhaps most surprising revelation. The stream curves gently round the towering contours of Birtle Edge and the valley gradually opens into a deep gorge, curiously patterned with low embankments and crumbling walls, its thick undergrowth strewn with sturdy masonry and gouged with hollows and enigmatic channels, for it was here in Birtle Dene that the industries of the Cheesden Valley reached their pinnacle. The mill that Thomas Ramsbotttom of Harwood Fields built there in 1824 was far removed, in both style and spirit, from those humble enterprises to the north of the valley.

"Thomas Ramsbottom, however, showed no such caution when he built his mill at Birtle Dene. Here was a cotton mill in its own right, in no way dependent on the putting-out system or the domestic outworker. It was a vertical concern spinning the raw cotton into yarn and weaving the yarn into cloth, with possibly some yarn dyeing capacity and cloth finishing. It was planned and built with the boldness and confidence of a man who clearly had caught the spirit of the Industrial Revolution. Yet when the observer stands at the top of the mill road, a good 340 yards from the valley bottom with a steady and formidable gradient of one in seven, he may ask why Ramsbottom chose such a remote site for such an ambitious mill. There were, of course, the usual facilities of water and coal, but for an enterprise of this scale, comparable with many of the edifices of the growing towns beyond this valley, its situation created intrinsic problems.

"The Observer may also ask how Ramsbottom raised his capital for the project. There is, in fact, evidence that the Ramsbottom family had been involved in textile manu-facture previously at Harwood Fields."

Sandford & Ashworth go on to say: "Perhaps Ramsbottom, for all his ambitions, was still at heart a man of the valley. There is no doubt that he used his resources to the full. Birtle Dene Mill was powered by two, possibly three, water wheels, a small one being provided solely for used in the mechanic's shop when the rest of the mill was closed. The mill also used steam power and Ramsbottom owned three mines situated above the Dene, Bassy Mine, Lower Foot Mine (known as Halfpenny Hole) and Upper Foot Mine (known as Mountain Mine). Access was by narrow tracks running along the hillside to the south of the mill, though there is no evidence of a rail line...... these mines were frequently subjected to flooding and by 1887 they were either unworkable or unable to meet the demands of the large mill. Supplies were then brought up from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways coal yards at Buckley Wells in Bury. The Dene Mill, like several others in the valley, produced its own gas for lighting and the circular depression which once held the gasholder is still in evidence. In later year electricity was introduced.

"To spare the horses the strenuous haul of goods up the steep slope from the mill, the woven cloth consigned to the merchant houses of Manchester was taken up the hillside by means of a windlass and stored in a building before loading. Such consideration for employees was not, however, universal. Three rows of cottages were provided for work-people on the road down to the mill, while others came from Jericho and Fairfield, hamlets some two miles away. Labour was also recruited from the unfortunate inmates of Jericho workhouse and in 1836, following revisions in the administration of the Poor Law, large numbers of people from areas of Suffolk, Norfolk, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire were persuaded to come North to regular work in the new cotton mills."

Sources and References:

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

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

Colour photo (above) of Birtle Dene Mill in the Cheesden Valley is by John Westhead on Geograph (Creative Commons).

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2018/01/mills-a-z.html

Copyright © RayS57, 2023.

The Old Rochdale Market Cross in Greater Manchester.

The old cross that stands beside the Packer Spout, just opposite Rochdale Town Hall and beside the steep steps (Church Steps) going up to the parish church of St Chad, is fairly recent, well maybe 19th century, but the circular, stepped and moulded base could be late medieval or post medieval in date? The base stones are thought to be the only remaining part of the old Rochdale Market Cross. The original open market used to be located at the bottom of Yorkshire Street, but was moved for a time to the Town Hall Square, close-by Packer Spout.

In the entrance to the Touchstones Museum an ornate cross-head is on display. Could this have once adorned the top of the present Market Cross, probably not. The shaft of (this) cross is much more recent, but the cornice and stone sphere (ball finial) on top could be 18th or 19th century in date, and, therefore, much more recent than the cross-head in the museum across the road on the Esplanade, which looks distinctly Medieval. The market cross, in its entirety, originally stood at the bottom of Yorkshire Street back in the early 19th century.

The Packer Spout fountain, mentioned earlier, is still flowing in St Chad's Garden and was the town's main water supply for a few hundred years or more. The old Market Cross is Grade II listed. List Entry No: 1031929. The Ordnance Survey Grid Reference is: SD 89641321.

Sources/References:

The illustration (above) of the Rochdale Market Cross is by courtesy of Greg Couzens on The Original Rochdale Memories group on Facebook. Thankyou most kindly Greg.

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101031929-market-cross-milkstone-and-deeplish-ward#.Y6otz7rP3IU

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101031929-market-cross-milkstone-and-deeplish-ward/photos/21906

Copyright © RayS57, 2022.

The Celtic Stone Heads of Wardle, Near Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Back in 1970 two carved stone heads were donated to the Rochdale Museum by a lady living in Lowflats, Wardle, near Rochdale; she had previously had them as garden ornaments. The two gritstone heads which stand on stone pillars had been described as Celtic stone heads, but that is unlikely to be the case, as they were dated to the 17th or 18th centuries, and, maybe even only as old as the 20th century! These carved heads, which had been used as gateposts in the past, had come from different places in the Wardle area. The smaller head, which is 117cm high, apparently came from Low Farm (Low Hill) in Wardle (there was an ancient burial mound on Low Hill), whereas the larger head, which is 148cm high, came from nearby Howarth Farm (also called Howarth Knowl Farm). It is likely the smaller carved head stood beside an ancient spring - where it had acted as a lucky, symbolic talisman. The two stone heads have been on display in the entrance area of the Touchstones Museum, the Esplanade, Rochdale since 2002.

In an article for the Winter 2012 volume of the 'Lancashire History Quarterly' magazine, Raymond Varley tells about the 'Two Stone Gatepost Heads from Wardle, Rochdale, Lancashire'. He says: "These two stone gatepost heads were donated to the Rochdale Museum in 1970 by Gertrude Jane Wilkinson of Lowflats, Wardle near Rochdale, where she kept them in her garden for a number of years. They were then put into storage waiting extensive renovation work to the former vicarage of the Parish Church of St. Chad which opened as Rochdale Museum in 1975. The stone heads were then put on display in the entrance hall. However, the museum closed in 1989 and once again the stone heads were put into storage until a permanent and accessible home to display them was found. This was at Touchstones Rochdale in 2002, but before being displayed, conservation work..... was carried out on the heads, which are made from local gritstone. After they were cleaned and restored the stone heads were placed at the entrance to the museum.

"Although the actual sites for these two stone gatepost heads is not known, there is no doubt that they both came from Wardle, which is a small Pennine village. It is situated at foothills of the Pennines surrounded on three sides by high moorland country. Wardle was originally an isolated village with just a cart track to Rochdale. It may have Celtic origins..... and Mesolithic and Bronze Age flint tools and arrowheads have been found on Middle Hill..... and Brown Wardle Hill, north of Wardle..... Howarth Knowl might originate from the Anglo Saxon word 'cnoll' meaning hill top..... Immediately north of Wardle was once the hamlet of Watergrove, which is now beneath the waves of the reservoir."

Raymond Varley goes on to say:"These two ancient-looking stone head faces can be recognised as human, carved at the top of gateposts. In the past stone heads were often disregarded as a minor architectural feature and it was not until the 1960s when they started to receive public attention. This was when Sidney Jackson, late Keeper of Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford, began publicising the abumdance of primitive looking carved heads, which were turning up in the North of England in particular Yorkshire. Press publicity also increased the awareness of stone heads in Yorkshire. Jackson was the first to realise that the carvings were an important and overlooked part of our historical heritage with a significant number found throughout West Yorkshire. As a result he wrote many short articles on their discovery in the Cartwright Hall Museum Archaeology Group Bulletins (Jackson 1960) suggesting that they had ancient origins. This was because the features on most of the carvings were often primitive.

"Many stone heads have been found in gardens serving as ornaments and some were found built into dry-stone field walls. Most of them are three-dimensional and free-standing. They also appear in buildings above doorways, on either side of a window, or on a gable end. Other common locations are bridges, wells and springs. Stone gatepost heads, like the ones from Wardle however, seem to be an infrequent discovery.

Sources/References:-

Lancashire History Quarterly - Exploring The History Of Old Lancashire Volume 15 Issue No. 2 Winter 2012, Hudson History of Settle, Kirkgate, Settle, N.Yorks.

https://www.yourtrustrochdale.co.uk/venues/touchstones-rochdale/

Copyright © RayS57, 2022.

Simpson Clough Mills, Heywood, Near Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The Ashworth road begins its long, 3 mile journey eastward at Simpson Clough, near Heywood - in what is a sunken stretch of lane - through a secluded wooded gorge where two brooks converge a little after the B6222 Bury And Rochdale Old Road, and just before the hamlet of Ashworth Fold. Where the lane dips down there is an industrial complex of old mill buildings beside the road known as Simpson Clough Mills. Here beside the Cheesden and Naden Brooks in about 1840 a woollen fulling mill was built and by 1880 it had become the woollen manufacturers of Oram Thomas & Sons. At the end of the 19th century it was a bleach mill run by Barkers. Then, in the late 1930s it was in the ownership of Crompton's, and, in the early 1940s it was taken over by the War Office and put to good use by them before being converted into a paper mill after the war. The mill was still in use for paper manufacturing in 2018 and beyond - with the name Union Papertech. H. D. Clayton writing in 1979 says of Simpson Clough:-

"When a mill was first built here is not known, but it was a prime site at the confluence of Cheesden and Naden Brooks and on Ashworth Road, and is thought to have been occupied by a Fulling Mill. Towards the end of the 19th century Barker Bros., bought the existing mill and built a large extension for their business of bleachers, dyers and finishers. They had 16 carthorses, kept in stables on the other side of the Bury Road, and delivered two loads of finished cloth to Manchester warehouses each working day, returning with loads of cloth for finishing. The first load left the millabout 6 a.m. and returned at 7 p.m., and the second left at 9 a.m. and did not get back till 11 p.m. The wagons had three horses each and the journey was broken at 'The Three Arrows' near Heaton Park for the horses to rest. One evening there was a fearful accident with the last load. It was customary for the carter, on reaching the Bury Road after ascending the hill from Hooley Bridge, to put on the brakes before going down the hill to the mill. On this occasion, whilst he was doing so, the horses ran away and crashed into the bridge at the bottom. One horse was so badly pierced by a shaft that it had to be destroyed and the cloth was scattered all over the road.

"Horses were eventually replaced by a Foden steam wagon and trailer which could take the Manchester cloth in one journey.

"The mill closed some years ago and was bought about 1945 by James R. Crompton & Bros. Ltd., a subsidiary to their Elton Paper Mills. This old established firm makes special papers, fundamentally different from other papers, as they are very light and made chiefly from long fibred Manila Hemp. They are of high porosity, low substance and a high strength/weight ratio and are used as stencil base tissue, teabags, filtration and many other uses. It is nice to know that the only mill still taking water from the Cheesden Brook contains the most modern machinery and exports its unique products all over the world."

References:-

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

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2018/01/mills-s-u.html

http://www.unionpapertech.com/the-history-of-our-headquarters/

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2174839

Copyright © RayS57, 2022.

Burrs Mill Industrial Site at Walmersley, near Bury, Greater Manchester.

About a mile to the northwest of Bury town centre, near Walmersley, in Greater Man-chester, is the Burrs Mill Industrial site at (OS Grid Ref: SD 79829 12654), which is on the north side of the River Irwell and beneath Castle Stead Iron Age hillfort. Here there used to be two cotton spinning mills and a coal pit, but nothing much of those buildings remains today, apart from a fairly intact row of workers cottagers, the mill lodges, the tall chimney (built in 1850 and 120 foot-high) and some stonework belonging to the mills themselves. The first of those mills, Burrs, was established in the late 18th century by the famous Peel family of Bury, making it the oldest in Bury. Later, in the early 19th century a second mill was established, just a little to the south, at Higher Woodhill by the Calrow family. But, very sadly, both mills closed in the early 1930s. In more recent years Burrs has become an Industrial Heritage site after the buildings were pulled down and the area levelled. It is now called 'Burrs Country Park'; and there is the 'Burrs Halt' on The East Lancashire Railway.

Red Rose Magazine (1989) has an article called: An Insight Into The Past - The Burrs Mill Site. In this we learn that:- "The Burrs is an area with a fascinating history and is fortunate that much still remains to be seen of its early development. The area extends to some 100 acres of mainly open land, much of it in agricultural use, and it lies to the north of Bury town centre in an attractive river-side setting.

"Throughout the Burrs is evidence of Bury's early industrialisation. The area reached its high point of activity during the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the development of two large mill complexes. In the last decade of the eighteenth century the Peel family established a large scale cotton mill at Burrs, together with a row of back-to-back cottages. The cottages still survive, albeit in a state of some dereliction, together with the chimney to the mill and some fragments of the mill itself.

"To the south, but linked by a possibly unique water-system, another cotton spinning mill was established by the Calrow family at Higher Woodhill during the early nineteenth century. Higher Woodhill comprised a community of a mill, four terraces of cottages, allotments, barn, chapel, school and shop. One terrace of houses and the barn remain, together with some remains of the mill and its water works.

"As the growth of industry turned its back on Burrs the site went into decline. Now the tide is turning and the Burrs could once again rise to prominence."

Red Rose Magazine (1989) in the article "The Burrs Mill Site" adds more information about Heritage, it says: "The Burrs area contains a wealth of historical features and industrial remains with the potential to give a fascinating insight into the life and development of settlements in the Irwell Valley. The Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit are currently engaged in the detailed investigation and recording of the areas' historical features and remains. A detailed research and social history investigation is also being carried out. As work progresses the emphasis will move on to the presentation and interpretation of the sites for visitors.

"With the area's wealth of early industrial related remains the opportunity presents itself to develop the Burrs as the Borough's main site of industrial interest. The areacould act as an 'open air museum' for other industrial artifacts and with the possibility of develo-ping a visitor centre and craft workshops the area could develop a strong industrial theme. With the 'Burrs Cottages' remaining virtually intact the industrial theme could put considerable emphasis on the social aspects of early industrialisation."

Much has changed at Burrs in the last 30 years or so, though the 120 foot high chimney is still there. Covering over 30 hectares, the 'Burrs Country Park' has water features, footpaths, scenic areas, a row of restored workers cottages and some ruins of the former cotton mills. There are also facilities for educational, heritage and archaeological activities, with regard to schools; as well as walking, picnicking, outdoor pursuits such as camping and fishing, and much more besides. There are also wildlife habitats and woodland areas, open spaces, wetland and water features such as mill lodges. There is also a cafe and a public house - The Brown Cow. A footpath leads around the base of Castle Stead Iron Age hillfort, and, there are some good panoramic views to be had. The East Lancashire Railway runs through the Country Park with a halt for visitors.

References & Related Websites:-

Red Rose Magazine - People and Places, Past and Present, Vol. 1 No 2, Millgate Publishing Ltd., Rossendale, Lancashire, August/September 1989.

https://lancashirepast.com/2020/12/19/burrs-mill-bury/

https://www.bury.gov.uk/Burrs/

https://www.visitnorthwest.com/sights/burrs-country-park/

https://www.visitnorthwest.com/sights/burrs-country-park/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g528789-d13964449-Reviews-Burrs_Country_Park-Bury_Greater_Manchester_England.html

Copyright © RayS57 2021.

Black Pits Cotton Mill, Norden, Rochdale, Greater Manchester

Sadly there is nothing left of the Black Pits cotton-spinning and manufacturing mill at Coal Bank Fold beside the Naden Brook at Norden (SD 85685 14273), near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, apart from its very tall chimney, which was fully restored in 2016, especially the very top which had to be renewed. It has been a local landmark for over a hundred years, and, has large white lettering on the side that says BLACK PITS. The mill buildings were demolished and the site levelled, and now trees grow where once a thriving industrial building used to stand.

The chimney (the above photo is from 2012) is located behind a modern housing estate where the Dexine rubber works was to be found. I seem to remember there was a company called Ebonite, who had a works there in the 1970s, though I could be wrong about that. There was also Clapgate Colliery here, but, that has long since disappeared. Cotton manufacturing began at Black Pits in the 1840s and by the 1870s it had become a thriving place of employment for the people of Norden and Rochdale - at the very time when 'Cotton was King' and the Industrial Revolution was in full swing.

Grace's Guid has the following: "Blackpits Cotton Spinning and Manufacturing Co Limited; 15,670 spindles, 1811/361, twist; 474 looms, fustians; Manchester warehouse-14A, New Brown street."

The Black Pits mill, unlike many others in this area, survived well in to the late 20th century - the building was still there in the 1990s, but, it had probably closed by the late 1940s or early 1950s? However, the mill at Coal Bank had closed by the beginning of the 20th century; Crimble mill, Bamford, was still in operational use upto 1970, whereas Bamford Woolen Mill, War Office Road, Bamford, was demolished in 1982 to make way for modern housing.

References & Related Websites:-

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Blackpits_Cotton_Spinning_and_Manufacturing_Co

https://rays57-aroundbamford.blogspot.com/2012/04/around-ashworth-valley.html

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2018/01/mills-a-z.html

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/local-historian-uncovers-19th-century-rochdale-mining-disaster/

Copyright © RayS57 2021.