Reddish Mill, Houldsworth Street, Reddish, Stockport.

Construction: Single brick arch. 140,000 mule spindles (1884); Production: Fine to Super‑Fine.

Reddish was a rural area when William Houldsworth moved his spinning business there from central Manchester with the completion of Houldsworth Mill on a greenfield site in 1865. This was a considerable act of faith during the American Civil War which had caused such disruption to the Lancashire textile industry. The mill was located alongside the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal which had opened in 1798. The mill has a most impressive front with two large four-storey blocks linked by a central section flanked by Italianate staircase towers, the central block being surmounted by a pediment clock. The mill was of fireproof construction with brick-arched ceilings supported on cast-iron columns and rolled iron beams. The mill has now been converted into residential accommodation in the left-hand wing and business and light industrial use in the right-hand wing.William Houldsworth’s intention was not just to provide a source of employment but also to provide houses, a school, a church, a park and also a working men’s club. A. H. Stott was responsible for the design of worker’s housing opposite Houldsworth Mill, substantial brick houses with bay windows and front gardens and the more modest houses behind on Liverpool Street. Also it is significant that the Working Men’s Club, with great bow windows and ornamental roof, again designed by Stott was built before the school and church which it temporarily housed. Houldsworth was quite emphatic that it was a club not a Mechanics Institute and he could see no conflict between beer and the bible.

Reddish new mill is beautifully situated upon an estate bought for the purpose from the Messrs Duncruft of Oldham, sixty-two acres in extent and adjoins the Manchester and Stockport branch canal at Reddish. The owners are Messrs Thomas Holdsworth and Company of Newton Street Mills, Manchester. This large mill is erected for preparing and spinning cotton of very fine counts. It is 521 feet long by 118 feet wide, outside measure, and averages 4.5 storeys high which equals a total area of 30,739 superficial yards, or nearly 6.5 acres.  All the floors are constructed on the fireproof principal. It is built in the Italian style with pilaster base and caps between the windows all round resting on  a stone string and semi-circular arches over the top storey and bold cornices all round. There are two spacious staircases, each lighted with groups of circular headed windows and surmounted by two towers. The basement storey is built of stone from Knotthill Quarries near Ashton-under-Lyne, and the upper structure is of pressed bricks, all of which have been made on the premises. The window sills and strings are from Saddleworth, Fletcher Bank, and Ramsbottom quarries. The excavating and brickmaking has been done by Messrs James Meadows and Sons of Oldham. The masonry by Mr Edward Sigley, and the carpenters' work by Mr Thomas George, both of Ashton-under-Lyne; the brickwork by Messrs Wilde and Wrigley, of Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham; the plumbing and glazing by Messrs Sharples and Buckley, of Oldham; iron beams, pillars etc by Messrs William Milburn and Sons of Stalybridge; the painting by Mr J Taylor, of Ashton-under-Lyne. The steam engines are horizontal, with Mr Kay's patent cut-off valves, made by Mr James Kay, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Bury, who also supplied the steam boilers. The engines are nominally of two sixty-horse power, and the fly-wheel weighs thirty tons. A portion of the mules, cards and jackframes were made by Messrs Dobson and Barlow of Bolton. The Messrs Threlfalls of Bolton made other mules, the firm of Messrs Parr, Curtis and Madeley, of Manchester, supplied some of the jackframes, and Messrs Hetherington and Son of Manchester, the combing machines. The mules have 928 spindles each. The mill gearing was done by Messrs Ormrod, Grierson and Company of Manchester, Mr Billington, the principal manager, having the supervision of the whole. The following materials have been used in the building, viz: 90,190 cubic feet of rubble stones for the foundations; 54,200 cubic feet of ashlar stone; 600,000 bricks; 1,500 tons of iron beams, pillars, etc; 45,800 cubic feet of timber, 33500 superficial feet of glass. The first stone was laid in August 1864 and a portion of the mill commenced work in March 1866. The plans etc., were made by and the building erected under the superintendence of Mr. A. H. Stott, of Oldham. and Mr. J. Stott as clerk of works. [North Cheshire Herald 19 January 1867 page 3]

 TO STONE MASONS AND CONTRACTORS - To be let, the FOUNDATIONS and MASONRY WORK required to be done in the erection of Cotton Mills at Reddish near Stockport for Messrs (illegible) Houldsworth and Company. Plans and specifications may be seen and form of tender obtained at the office of the architect A H STOTT, King Street, Oldham after Wednesday 1 June 1864. [Manchester Guardian 28 May 1864 page 1]

Reference        Manchester Guardian 28 May 1864 Page 2 (Contracts)
Reference        North Cheshire Herald 19 January 1867 page 3
Reference        Roger Holden: Stott and Sons Index of Buildings No W1863N01