SQUARE MILL/WORKS
End of Railway Street/Kay Brow. Now TNT depot.
1821 Built by William Grant & Brothers.
Demolished 1950s.
On a hand drawn plan by Thomas H. Bell, Surveyor to the Council dated 1917 from the RHS Archives in Civic Hall Feb. 2009 there is an ‘arrow’ which states ‘to Reservoir in Lodge Street, supplying the Square Works’.
The large TNT site at the end of Kay Brow is the site of the Grants Square Mill. Somewhere in the Midlands the youngest member of the firm had seen a textile works constructed in the form of a square, surrounded by water. The raw materials went in one at one side of the entrance and the manufactured articles were turned out at the other side, ready for market. The Grants resolved they would have a new factory designed on the same principle, no doubt due to defensive reasons since there was much unrest at the time and the 1819 Peterloo disturbances would be very much in their minds. The complex was substantially re-built in 1923. [Goldthorpe page 28]
The external measurement of each of its four sides was 241 feet and it is three stories high [Elliot page122]
1842 The Tithe Map lists the mill as a ‘Bleachworks and Printworks and roads called The Square. Owned and occupied by William Grant & Brothers. [1842 Tithe Map for Tottington Lower End page 12 No:345]
The Grants operated at The Square from 1821 until 1866.
John Buchanan was an engineer at Square Mill and he made the clock for St. Andrew’s church, based on the beam engine principle. The church was originally heated by hot air from the Square Mill by means of a brick funnel – which still exists and was uncovered in 1958 by workmen engaged in some other excavation. [Goldthorpe page 57]
1861 William Grant & Brothers, calico printers – Ramsbottom Print Works. [Drake]
1867 the site was operated by Messrs Hepburn & Co
Hepburns are listed in the trade directories:
1871, 1883 and 1888 Hepburn & Co, bleachers & finishers – Grants Works Ramsbottom [Worrall 1871, Barrett 1883 and Slater 1888]
Archibald Hepburn resided at Barwood House. [Worrall 1871]
Hume Elliot refers to this company: Since 1867 the Square has been occupied by Messrs Hepburn & Co as a bleach works employing 3/400 people. [Elliot page 129] Messrs Hepburn, by their chief engineer, Mr James Sadler, have equipped these works with the most approved mechanical appliances, including some admirable patents, the fruit of Mr Sadler’s ingenuity and skill. [Elliot page 130]
1908 The site is marked and named on the 1908 map and Hepburn & Co, bleachers, Square Works are listed in the trade section.
1910 Bleacher’s Association (Hepburn & Co) owners/occupiers of Bleachworks at Square [Valuation List PUB 8/164 TLE Bury Archives]
1935 In the Ramsbottom Official Guide c1935 the firm is described as the Hepburn Branch of the Bleachers Association.
Hepburns Square Bleaching Works - made muslins – fine materials for the Indian market which was decorated by ‘tambouring’. Bottom Room was for bleaching and finishing the cloth. It was then taken up to the top room where it was put on frames and girls, working in pairs did hooking and made it up into 20 yard pieces. After that it was taken to the ‘tambouring room’, to be fancied up – that is, girls had a needle and thread and put a fancy piece on one corner. Then the pairers packed the goods ready for transport. They also did very fine ‘mull’ for turbans for India. During the War it was used for storing food, sugar and butter. [Notes from the RHS Exhibition 1989]
Newspaper cutting found in RHS Archive Photo no: 1412) 1971 - Square Mill passed to Hepburn & Co who worked it until after WW2. The speciality was fine muslin cloth for Indian clothing with a ‘Tambouring’ for a decorative finish.
I didn’t find anything in the Ramsbottom Festival 1951 Souvenir Handbook.
1950s demolished. Some archaeology by TNT depot which is now on the site
[information from Janet Smith]
I have come across some of the history of TNT which is interesting. In 1946, 33 year old Ken THOMAS established K.W. Transport in Australia with a single truck. In 1958
K.W. Transport changed its name to Thomas Nationwide Transport and TNT was born. TNT first entered the United Kingdom in 1978 with the purchase of the northern based carrier Inter-County Express. [TNT Website]
Riverside walls remain [information from Kate Slingsby]