Building Name

Derby Street Mill Colne

Date
1891 - 1892
District/Town
Colne
County/Country
Lancashire, England
Work
New build
Contractor
John Riddiough and Company.

Derby Street Mill was built as a steam-powered cotton-weaving mill between 1887 and 1891 with a warehouse and yarn preparation block of three storeys, basement and attics, a single-storeyed weaving shed and internal corner engine and boiler houses. In 1894 the mill was doubled in size to the north, the new weaving shed having its own warehouse and yarn preparation block but utilising the existing power source which had been upgraded in 1891-2. The mill was built by Thomas Hyde and it remained in the family's ownership until 1960 when it passed to a new occupant.

Derby Street Mill was built by a partnership between J Crabtree and J Riddiough in 1891 as a steam-powered weaving mill. It had a warehouse and yarn preparation block of three storeys, basement and attics, a single-storey weaving shed of 430 looms and internal corner engine and boiler houses. Initial tenants were Thomas Hyde and Company, who remained in charge of the mill as Thomas Hyde and Company until 1960. In 1894 the mill was doubled in size to the north, the new weaving shed having its own warehouse and preparation block but utilising the existing power source which had been upgraded in 1891-2. The new weaving shed and warehouse have been dated by an inscription reading 'Derby Street Mill Extension 1894'. The mill's management was in the hands of the Derby Street Room and Power Company from 1896. The mill remained in the Hyde family's ownership until 1960 when it passed to EA Foulds Ltd, who still occupied the site in 2006.

The mill, designed by Sellers and Hamilton of Bury, was built in 1891-92 by John Riddiough and Company. It was leased to Thomas Hyde and Company. Neighbouring houses were also designed by Sellers and Hamilton. The shed was enlarged in 1894, and an additional warehouse and preparation building erected. The extension allowed an increase in looms from 450 to 750. The Derby Street Room and Power Company Limited was registered in 1896 to manage the property. Subscribers included Riddiough, Thomas Hyde and his partner, James Crabtree. Thomas Hyde and Company occupied the mill throughout its working life, and it is likely they acquired the capital of the room and power company, possibly after 1918. Following the Second World War, Hyde and Company were owned by a Manchester merchant converter. The mill wove out in 1960 under the provisions of the Cotton Industry Act (1959). Architects drawings for the mill are at Lancashire Archives.