The history of Eden Wood Mill is covered comprehensively in John Simpson’s Book.
[John Simpson – A History of Edenfield and District –Reference copy available at Ramsbottom Library].
1801 Built by Lawrence Rostron.
1806 transferred the business to his sons John and James Rostron. [Simpson page 69]
1818 John & James Rostron cotton spinners & manufacturers Edenfield [Rogerson]
1824 John & James Rostron, cotton spinners and manufacturers are listed at Ednwood Mill [Baines]
1828 John Rostron, cotton spinner was listed at Edenwood Mill [Pigot]
1831 James withdrew from the partnership and made over his share of the property to John. At the same time, John’s son, also called John, took over running the mill. [Simpson page 69]
1833 According to the narrative in the Irwell Reservoir Scheme it belonged to Thomas Rostron. At this time it had a waterwheel 4 feet wide and 36 feet diameter and a 16hp engine. The lodge at Edenwood was the largest in Dearden Brook. [Goldthorpe page 72 and Irwell Reservoir Scheme 1833]
1836 The mill was let to Edmund Seddon, a cotton spinner from Shuttleworth. [Simpson page 69]
1841 Census - Eden Wood - John Rostron age 37, manufacturer with wife Margaret age 37 and children James age 9, Mary age 7, Emma age 6 and Thomas age 4.
1849 Partially destroyed by fire but it was well insured and had been rebuilt by the spring of the following year when John Rostron sold it to his nephew, another John Rostron. [ibdid]
1856 Ownership of the mill changed again – this time to Richard Rostron, John’s cousin and son of the man who sold it in 1850. By 1850s the mill was not run by any of the Rostrons but was let out to other manufacturers. [ibid]
1850 Daniel Revitt & Co., warp sizers are at Edenwood [Heap]
1861 George Tattersall, cotton manufacturer and also Butterworth & Riley, cotton manufacturers are both listed at Edenwood Mill [Drake]
1871 The Edenwood Mill Company – they were described as ‘warp sizers’.[Worrall] This enterprise was set up by William Rumney, the calico printer from Stubbins and two men from Manchester – Absalom Watkin and Charles Ratcliffe who moved to Edenfield to run the mill. Watkin died in 1875 and Rumney died in 1882. Following the collapse of Richard Rostron’s business in 1860 ownership of Edenwood passed to the Fielden family of Todmorden.
In 1882 it was leased to Charles Ratcliffe on a 14 year lease. He died in 1884 and his widow and son carried on the business until 1901.[Simpson page 71]
1888 Charles Ratcliffe, cotton manufacturer was listed at Edenwood Mill [Slaters]
Hume Elliot refers to this family ...’Edenwood Mill under the late Charles Ratcliffe now his son Mr Fred Ratcliffe’. [Elliot page 152]
EDENWOOD MILL
1900 Sold to Turnbull & Stockdale by Fieldens. They transformed the mill into a dyeworks and ran it until 1968.
In 1924 Richard Thomas Turnbull lived at Fernclough, Stubbins, Benjamin Turnbull lived at Crosmere, Bolton Road North, Stubbins and William Turnbull lived at Crofthey, Stubbins. [Kelly]
1968 it was closed by the parent company, Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd. It was however, bought by Edward Turnbull great-grandson of the founders of Turnbull & Stockdale, whose company still runs the mill, producing cloth printed in the traditional method using wooden blocks. [Simpson page 71]
EDENWOOD MILL/CROFT END
The following is from company profile entitled Edward Turnbull & Co Ltd (self profile on company headed note paper) - one of many company profiles found in the RHS archives stored in the Civic Hall in February 2009. It is undated but I believe it dates back to 2000.
Edward Turnbull & Co - commenced business in 1968 when a small Hand Block printing unit within the Sanderson division of Reed International was found too inappropriate to a large conglomerate and it was purchased by Edward Turnbull and established as a separate and independent entity. The historical background goes back a lot further, however, and there is a direct and continuous link to the formation in 1881 of William Turnbull & Co. Later his friend William Stockdale joined him; the firm then took the name of Turnbull and Stockdale Ltd and later still to be merged into Sandersons.
Since those first tentative steps in 1968 the company has grown in strength, maturity and confidence and with the loyal support of customers anxious to preserve the craftsmanship of Hand Block printing, it now produces designs of a high calibre in the traditional Hand Block way and also using the most advanced computer controlled screen printing techniques. The continued growth over the years has involved additional process centres and an ever-increasing broadening of the product base.
There are three local production areas:
Edenwood, Stubbins, Ramsbottom
Hand Block printing is undertaken by skilled craftsmen who are proud to be the only commercial Hand Block printer of furnishing fabrics in the world.
It is a production technique steeped in history and the basic concept is little changed since the earliest fragmentary relics of 4,000 years ago.
The printed effect has boldness, yet softness and subtlety that cannot be adequately recreated by modern mass-produced methods but the hand production is necessarily slow and most expensive.
Croftend, Stubbins, Ramsbottom
Discontinuous and continuous screen printing is undertaken on new highly advanced computer controlled machines, working multiple shifts.
Stormer Hill, Tottington
Fixation of the VAT dyes used in the printing process is undertaken in Tottington, often followed by the Application of a ‘finish’ (like glazing) and then a careful warehouse inspection. Goods are despatched to many of the most prestigious and influential wholesalers and interior decorators throughout the world and are often pictured in glossy magazines showing the homes of the rich and famous.
The company continues to grow and has ambitious expansion plans for the future: It is young in heart and spirit but is steeped in tradition and expertise.
I still don’t know when Edenwood closed.