Kearsley Mill

The cotton industry boomed and prospered between 1895 and 1910 due, in part, to legislative changes which enabled companies to amalgamate in order to promote continued growth. Kearsley Mill was one of many mills which opened across Lancashire during this time. In the years between 1850 and 1900, for example, approximately 50 new mills were recorded to be built in the Farnworth/Kearsley area, and more in the surrounding area. Construction of the Kearsley Mill began in 1905, when the first sod was cut for its foundations. Developed for the Kearsley Spinning Company, the mill represented the culmination of decades of industrial development in the textile field, both architecturally and…

Mills of this period were large, their decoration was lavish reflecting Edwardian taste and prosperity. Kearsley Mill was no exception. During the 19th Century, spinning mill architecture developed from the narrow section, pitched roof design to the five and six storied, rectangular flat roofed outlines with large paned windows. The machinery was driven by shafting from an adjacent engine and boiler house as seen in the Kearsley Spinning Mill which employed both turbine driven generators and electric motor driven machinery. The Mill had 24 bays for mule spinning machines, large paned windows were installed for light and the mill was innovatively designed and constructed using fireproof…