Houldsworth Mill

The main entrance
Location in Greater Manchester
Cotton
Alternative names	Reddish Mill
Spindles	136,692
Combined SpinningWeaving
Structural system	North mill, Central engine house, South mill, red Engineering brick
Location	Reddish, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England
Serving canal	Stockport branch, Ashton Canal
Client	William Houldsworth
Further ownership	Fine Cotton Spinners' Association by merger (1898) John Myer's Mail Order Warehouse (1950s)
Current owners	Heaton and Houldsworth Property Company
Current tenants	various
Coordinates	53°26′11″N 2°09′56″W / 53.4363°N 2.1656°W / 53.4363; -2.1656
Construction
Built	1863
Completed	1865
Employees	454
Renovated	1:1999
Size	64 acres (260,000 m2)
Floor count	4 plus cellar
Floor area	400,000 square feet (37,000 m2)
Design team
Architect	Abraham Stott
Awards and prizes and listings	Grade II* Listed
Cotton count	80s to 250s
Mule Frames	136,692
References
Astle 1922, p. 145

Houldsworth Mill, also known as Reddish Mill, is a former mill in Reddish, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England (grid reference SJ895935). Designed by Abraham Stott, it was constructed in 1865 for Henry Houldsworth, a prominent mill owner at the time. It is a Grade II* listed building.^[1]

History

Reddish mill was built by Stott and Sons for William Houldsworth, and opened in 1865. It covers 64 acres (260,000 m²), and employed 454 workers.

In 1898, it amalgamated with the Fine Cotton Spinners Association. The mill had 136,692 spindles and at one time spun counts of 700 and 800, but normally 80s to 250s.^[2]

After cotton

Cotton production at Houldsworth Mill ceased in the 1950s. The mill was sold to a mail-order catalogue company, John Myers, and was used principally as a warehouse. In the late 1960s, the building was expanded with a five-storey extension to the rear of the north end of the mill. This was built of glass and concrete in the style of the period.

Mail-order trading ceased in the 1970s, and the mill was sold. It was divided into separate business units, but most of the building remained vacant and it fell into a state of disrepair.^[3]

Architecture

The 1865 mill consists of two five-storeyed blocks of 18 bays, with a narrower nine bay central block for warehousing and offices. The central block has two Italianate stair towers and carries a central clock. The floors have become wider to accommodate the larger mules of the period. All floors are fireproof, with transverse vaults.

The detached engine house used horizontal shafts that connected to vertical shafts in each spinning block. The chimney was octagonal, on a plinth with a highly embellished oversailer (bricks that project beyond those beneath them). In the early 20th century, this was replaced with separate inverted compound engines for each block, with external rope races (grooves or tracks in which a rope runs through a pulley-block) for rope drives.^[4]

Restoration

The pilot study for restoration was part-funded by English Heritage. The refurbishment was funded by:^[5]

• The mill's owners (Heaton and Houldsworth Property Company)
• Northern Counties Housing Association (and Housing Corporation)
• English Partnerships
• European Regional Development Fund
• Stockport Council
• Various anchor tenants, including Ridge Danyers College and Kingfisher Pools

This mill was converted by Stephenson Bell architects. It provides 70 shared ownership apartments for social housing provider Northern Counties Housing Association, start-up units for emerging high-technology and arts-based businesses with commercial and leisure uses at the lower floors to provide active frontages.