Finishing Mills

Whilst some mills started off and remained in the Cloth Finishing trade throughout their existence others may have started as Woollen Mills and moved into finishing either through Change in ownership or a dramatic fire where the ruin was rebuilt for finishing as per Clough Mil. Others such as Heap's West view mills started as finishing, moved into manufacturing but returned to Finishing. For the purpose of this website the trade undertaken at the time of their demise is included on this page

Rakewood Upper Mill was built around the turn of the 18th Century/start 19th Century. In 1850 the Higher Mill was describesdas “all that MILL or FACTORY ….. called the Higher Mill being in some part 4 storeys and in other parts 3 storeys and measuring inside 64ft 6in by 41ft, also the MECHANICS SHOP and WAREHOUSE…..3 storeys high measuring 24ft 6in by 17ft 4in together with the engine house….. and gashouse…..with gas gasometer and retorts and other apparatus…. Also the steam engine of 15 horse power and 2 steam boilers, mill gearing, shafting, steam pipes, pipes and gas fittings ….. together with a water wheel 27ft high and about 57 inches wide in the buckets with a fall of water thereto. Also the reservoir, iron pipe and cistern…. Also, all those seven COTTAGES or DWELLING-HOUSES and Blacksmith Shop and Hayloft “. The mill may be let into immediate possession. The early steam boiler fed a Beam Engine which helped drive the mill machinery, heat and hot water. Water was obtained from the Longden End brook and coal from local mines. After various owners, John Clegg took over Rakewood Higher Mill during 1868 or early 1869. That was the start of the Clegg Family operating the Higher until the present time. The mill has been extended and modernised over its long history as have its operations. It started as aFulling Mill and later included other finishing processes including Dyeing.

More recently it stopped Fulling and the current owners according to their website - J Clegg & Bros Ltd "are proven expert in the field of Textile Lamination and specialise in the commission and lamination of technical, multi-layer fabrics using continuous hot melt lamination and PU films to create bespoke fabrics but also offer more traditional Textile processing services including fabric Raising, Rolling and Finishing. The mill itself is rather too large for its current workload and the owners improving and updating the building to cater for its future leisure role which will operate at the same time as the textile business.

For the Industries in Longden End Clough including Rakewood Upper Mill see Industrial History Booklet No 9

William Heap and Family

William, the 2nd son of William and Betty Heap, was born in the township of Heap in 1797. 33 year later William married Elizabeth Fielding and they had 8 children including Hannah, Thomas Edward, William Edward , Joshua, Elizabeth, John J, Sarah Alice and Samuel Fielden. in 1942 William left Rochdale and came to Ealees Fulling Mill, one of the older mills in Littleborough, where he finished some 450 to 480 pieces per week. By 1861 William was a Woollen and Cotton Manufacturer and Flannel Finisher employing 80 men, women and Children. John Joseph was a Fuller but Thomas Cotton Manufacturer employing 14 men and 7 women. As the business and family grew more space was required and in the 1860s a new mill was developed in Durn adjacent to Law's Mill (see picture above). Henceforth, the new mill remained the basis of the family firm. Williams son, William Henry Heap preferred to be involved in Flannel Manufacturing and that lasted for some 40 years. However, the finishing of cloth remained important throughout and when Gerald took over, Flannel Manufacturing ceased and the business concentrated on Bleaching, Dyeing and Finishing until it all ended in 1939 when Gerald sold on West View Mills. The mill then turned to Flannelette manufacture but unfortunately West View Mills suffered a serious fire in 1940. West View Mills was demolished between 1955 and 1960.

Son Joshua became MD of Kelsall and Kemp in Rochdale and another was highly involved in Ring Spinning Mills in Milnrow, The wider family had mills in Ogden, Newhey and Milnrow as well as Norden and Caldershaw. More information on the family is available in the Booklet illustrated right available from Kelsall's bookshop in Littleborough Square or from the author - email elboroistry@gmail.com

Clough Mill and the adjacent Clough Bank or Bankside Mill

Clough Mill as it is more commonly known is reputed to have been built in the late 19th Century and was operating as a Woollen Mill when run by Henry Travis in the period 1840 to 1869. In 1860 Clough Mill (3 storeys tall( was totally destroyed by Fire. The Fire Engine from the nearby Joseph Schofield's Town House Mill attended at a loss of £4,000. The mill returned to operation but in 1969 Henry Travis Senior and his sons Edward, Joseph and Samuel were were declared Bankrupt with all relevant parties requested to list of all liabilities and debts and statement of property and credits to be left at the Office of Registrar of the court of Bankruptcy - Henry Travis senior and sons Edward, Joseph and Samuel. Whilst this proceeded his son Henry Travis (Jnr) in partnership with Edmund Bamford operated the mill with little success as they became bankrupt in 1870. Perhaps feeling that all was not well both conveyed & assigned their joint & separate estates to trustees. Following the bankruptcy, Clough Bank Mill, Littleborough, stone built, plus other buildings, water rights plus all machinery including 86 Power Looms & six sets of carding engine mules containing 4125 spindles were advertised for sale but then the sale was cancelled. Two years later Littlewood and Heape's were selling a 31 inch Carding Engine with 2 cylinders so perhaps it was their interest which avoided the Sale.

A decade later(1884), there was another Fire, this time recorded at Simpson's Clough Mill resulting in £10,000 worth of damage. Over the next 30 years the mill was up for sale as different owners came and went before other fires affected the mills. What is unclear is whether Clough Mill and Clough Bank Mill were both operated by the same company or by different companies as occurred at Dearnley and also at Drydock Mills. This may have been the case in 1906 when two large fires ravaged the mills

in July 1906 Clough Mill, which consisted of 2 stone built buildings, the one called Clough Mill was 4 storeys high separated internally and the later one was called Bankside which was 2 storeys high. The fire occurred in the 2nd floor in the part used for making up and dyeing goods which caused the roof to fall in. However, the manufacturing part saved. Estimated damage was £10,000 See picture below left,. Just a month later, Bankside mill, possibly the most valuable part, and occupied by the Clough Mills Calico Printing Co was severely damaged by another fire with damage estimated between £15,000 and £23,000. This, plus last months, fire completely destroyed the mill except for the Finishing & Bleaching section resulting in approx 80 to 100 people put of employment. Subsequently, fire damaged equipment was offered for sale,

In July 1908 Clough Mill suffered a serious chemical explosion causing great damage to the building with the roof blown off. As a direct result of the explosion a man was blown out of the building and landed in a settling tanks. He was found with both of his legs blown off and it was reckoned he died instantly. with both of his legs blown off – he died instantly. The result of the explosion is pictured right.

The mill was rebuilt and it is known that from 1910 Clough Calico Print Works run by Rivett and Hilton was exporting brightly printed fabrics to Africa, Baghdad etc One aspect arose over the next few years concerned water rights surrounding of Long Clough Brook. The concern was that Clough Mill was abstracting too much water. It was legally agreed that Clough Mill could take the quantity of water that could pass down 2 x 2 inch pipes, the remainder to be for the use of Town House Mill leased to Oscar and Agnes Percy Schofield. The mill continued in operation under different owners before closing in 1926, because it was 'flooding' the market. The later 1931 OS Map showed the millas disused whereas the 1964 map showed everything in n ruins.