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View Full Version : Queen Street Mill & Helmshore Mill, Lancashire. June 2009



Gorecki
13-06-2009, 07:33 PM
Queen Street Mill was built in 1894 by the Queen Street Manufacturing Company.
The Mill made cloth which was made into shirts or sheets.
It closed in 1982.

This place was absalutley amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area.
We were the only ones there and you are free to walk about with no one telling you "get back HEALTH & SAFETY" shite :thumb

Also I was pretty clueless before about the machines and what did what.. I've been into a few abandoned textile mills and you see stuff lying about but not knowing what its for! Ace.

OK photos.....
First off is the Weaving Shed.
There are over 300 Lancashire Looms. These Looms were made in Burnley and date back to the 1890's.

In a shed this size, there would be about 65 to 80 weavers with 3 mechanics.
Each weaver would work 6 - 8 Looms depending on experience. Weavers were paid on "piece rate" - the amount of cloth they wove in a week..
The man put them on and the noise was something else!

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2823copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2788copy.jpg

The Peace Engine.
Peace provided energy to power the looms. At its peak, the engine would have provided enough energy to drive 1138 looms in the weaving shed, as well as other machinery around the mill.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2734copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2726copy.jpg

In Broadford works, you see heaps of these lying about...
Didn't really think as to what they were used for, was more interested in taking pictures of other things.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2749copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2741copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2816copy.jpg

Weird pencil things

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2768copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2777copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2821copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2796copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2752copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2758copy.jpg

Next it was off to Helmshore Mill, about 20 minute drive away.
We were free to wander about in the spinning rooms and again Peter & I were the only ones there where a cute old grandad gave us a demonstration of the machines..

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2855copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2841copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2843copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2846copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2848copy.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/IMG_2854copy.jpg

Both Mills featured in the BBC drama North & South in 2004!

BB
14-06-2009, 05:22 AM
Very nice :)
Thanks for showing us :thumb

KingElvis
14-06-2009, 08:10 AM
What a great place, lovely.

Chewy
14-06-2009, 04:53 PM
niiice :)

i'm only around the corner from the Helmshore Museum :thumb

Gorecki
14-06-2009, 07:36 PM
niiice :)

i'm only around the corner from the Helmshore Museum :thumb

Now ya tell me!!! :D
Hey there is SO much ace stuff around there!

andym
15-06-2009, 12:29 PM
Both these places are ace. Were the looms running at Queen St? Last time I went they had a few running and the noise was deafening, and that was with only a fraction of the total. The noise when they were all runnin full chat must have been unimaginable, no wonder the mill workers used to lip read!

Gorecki
15-06-2009, 12:39 PM
Both these places are ace. Were the looms running at Queen St? Last time I went they had a few running and the noise was deafening, and that was with only a fraction of the total. The noise when they were all runnin full chat must have been unimaginable, no wonder the mill workers used to lip read!

Yeah! The old man put them on and did a wee demonstration.
Super loud it was!

boxfrenzy
15-06-2009, 12:52 PM
That is great. Lovely pictures too :thumb