Unity Ring Spinning Mill, Unity Street, Broadfield, Heywood

UNITY MILL, HEYWOOD. Building operations are in an advanced state at the fine mill which is being erected for the Unity Ring Spinning Company at Broadfield, Heywood, and it is expected that ere very long delivery of machinery will commence. Three boilers are now in place, and the millwrights are at work in the mill. The site has proved an excellent one, end there has been no trouble about foundations. Locally we have not been familiar with this type of building—two storeyed, with sheds—but it is claimed to be the best adapted for efficient and economical working. The length of the building what strikes an observer. Indeed, it is probably one of the longest in the country. The buildings are very substantially built, faced with Accrington bricks, with Yorkshire stone dressings, and present an imposing front of a total length of 520 feet facing the railway, and with a total breadth of 306 feet on the west. The ground floor contains offices, engine house, boiler house, ring room, ring doubling room, and rooms for conditioning, winding. warping, beaming, and warehousing. The first floor contains cotton storage, blowing room. carding and preparation rooms. The mills designed to hold 60,480 ring spindles, and 10,080 ring doubling spindles with all preparation. The motive power is to be derived from a pair of horizontal tandem compound condensing steam engines of 1,600 h.p., with a boiler pressure of 160 lbs., and provision is made for four Lancashire boilers, 30ft. by 8 feet 6 inches, to work at the before-named pressure. The building is fireproof throughout on the brick arch system. Staircases are provided at each end of the mill, and in addition fire escapee of the latest type are provided, thus giving ample exit in case of panic or fire. Between the main building and the railway line a fine reservoir has been constructed with a holding capacity of three and a half million gallons, so that the company should have an ample supply of water even under adverse conditions. The mill has been erected to the designs of Mr Sidney Stott of Oldham. The building contractors are Messrs. R. and T. Howarth, Rochdale; the engines are being supplied by Messrs. Buckley and Taylor, Oldham; the boilers by Mews. Yates and Thom, Blackburn; the blowing room machinery by Mews. Howard and Bullough, Accrington; and the spinning and carding machinery by Messrs. Tweedales and Smalley, Castleton. The millwright's work is being done by Messrs. Petrie and Company, Rochdale; the economisers are being put in by Messrs. Roberts Brothers, Dukinfield; and the steam heating contractor is Mr. Charles Booth. Heywood. Mr. W. Rouse is the clerk of works., Public confidence bee been shown in the directors and the company in a very satisfactory degree, for of the share capital of £90,000, divided into 18,000 £5 shares about 17,000 have been allotted. When the mill gets into work it will be a great advantage to the town generally and should result in the widening out of the Broadfield end. With the erection of the new school at Bullough Moor, and the building of the houses which will naturally follow the construction of the Unity Mill, the district between the railway lines and Bury-street, on the westerly side of Pilsworth Road, will in the near future be greatly altered. [Heywood Advertiser Friday 4 December 1908 page 5]

Reference    Heywood Advertiser Friday 4 December 1908 page 5