Minerva Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne

Minerva Mill was a cotton spinning mill in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. It was built between 1891 and 1892 for the Minerva Spinning Company which was later known as the Ashton Syndicate. Minerva Mill was next to the later Texas mill, at Whitelands. It ceased spinning cotton in the 1920s and was demolished in 1937.

Minerva Mill
Minerva Mill in 1895
Minerva Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne is located in Greater Manchester
Minerva Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne
Location in Greater Manchester
Cotton
Spinning (mule mill) and doubling
LocationAshton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England
Serving canalHuddersfield Narrow Canal
Serving railwayLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
OwnerMinerva Spinning Company Ltd.
Coordinates53.4823°N 2.0882°W / 53.4823; -2.0882
Construction
Built1891
CompletedFeb 1892
Demolished1937
Floor count4
Other dimensions283ft X
Main contractorE. J. Smethurst Oldham
Power
Date1892
Engine makerDaniel Adamsons
Engine typeTwin triple expansion
rpm55
Installed horse power (ihp)1500
Boiler configuration
Pressure11.249 bar
Equipment
ManufacturerJohn Hetherington and Sons,
Mule Frames86,868 spindles(1892)
93,828 spindles(1903)
Medium counts
+22,000 doubling spindles (1920)
References
Haynes 1987, p. 48

Location

Minerva mill was built in a bend in the River Tame, close to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, at Whitelands. It was at the end of Minerva Road.

History

The Minerva Spinning Company Limited was registered in 1891 to build the Minerva Mill at Whitelands. The directors were Messrs Barlow, Marland, Coop, Newton, Pollitt and Pownall; they were later referred to as the Ashton syndicate. The syndicate went on to build the Rock Mill, Atlas Mill, Curzon Mill, Tudor Mill, Cedar Mill and finally the adjoining Texas Mill. The Minerva Spinning Company went out of business in the 1920s.[1]

Architecture
Plan of the card room.

It was designed by Sydney Stott. Four storeys over a basement.

Power

The steam engine was a 1500 hp twin triple expansion engine by Daniel Adamsons, of Openshaw built in 1906. The cylinders were christened Capital and Labour. It had an 18 ft flywheel that operated at 75 rpm. The flywheel drove 40 ropes that transmitted the power to each floor. The cylinders all had Corliss valves. They had a 48in throw, the High pressure was 22 ½" in diameter, the intermediate was 34 in and the low pressure was 56in. The air pump was driven from the low pressure crosshead, there was a Saxon governor on the high pressure end of the bed.[2]

Equipment

The mule frames were provided by John Hetherington and Sons Ltd. On startup here were 86,868 mule spindles spinning medium counts from American cotton, that was 40's twists and 65 wefts. By 1903, this had increased to 93828, and by 1920, 22,000 doubling spindles had been added.[3] In order to run these spindles in the spinning rooms, the cotton had to be prepared using openers, scutchers, carding engines.

Equipment in Minerva Mill[4]
NumberMachinesRatio
2Vertical Openers and scutchers1 : 43,434
4Intermediate Scutchers1 :21,717
93Carding Engines1 :934
63finishing deliveries of drawing1 :1,380
792Slubbing spindles1 :109.7
1716Intermediate spindles1 :50.6
6680Roving spindles1 :13
86,868Mule spindles1 :1

Usage

Minerva Mill was used for spinning fine counts of Egyptian cotton, both twists and weft.

Owners
  • The Ashton syndicate
  • Minerva Spinning Company

See also

References
Notes
  1. Haynes 1987, p. 481
  2. Roberts 1921
  3. Haynes 1987, p. 51
  4. Nasmith 1895, p. 113
Bibliography
  • Haynes, Ian (1987). Cotton in Ashton. Libraries and Arts Committee, Tameside Metropolitan Borough. ISBN 0-904506-14-2.
  • Nasmith, Joseph (1895). Recent Cotton Mill Construction and Engineering. London: John Heywood. ISBN 1-4021-4558-6.
  • Roberts, A S (1921). "Arthur Robert's Engine List". Arthur Roberts Black Book. One guy from Barlick-Book Transcription. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  • Williams, Mike; Farnie (1992). Cotton Mills of Greater Manchester. Carnegie Publishing. ISBN 0-948789-89-1.
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