ROSE BANK MILL
Covered comprehensively by John Simpson in his book ‘The History of Edenfield and District’.
1801 Built and run by James & John Rostron until James withdrew in 1831. John then converted the lower factory into a printworks and rented it to Joseph Jackson, David Watson and Thomas Greig. [Simpson page 71]
Thomas Greig was previously manager of the Grant’s Square Works. [Elliot page 130]
1834 Partners renewed lease for 22 years but in the early 1840s Jackson withdrew from the partnership. Greig’s brother Bennett Greig joined the firm but died in 1854. [Simpson page 71]
1841 Jackson, Watson & Greig, calico quilting printers were at Rosebank, Edenfield [Pigot and Slater]
About 1850 Thomas Greig retired to Scotland and died in 1884. [Simpson page 71]
1850s The Stark family (related to the Greig’s) joined the business and the name was changed to Watson & Stark.
1850 they are referred to as Greig, Watson & Greig, calico printers, at Rose Bank, Tottington-Higher-End and 60 George Street, Manchester [Heap].
They were for many years worked by one of the nephews of Messrs Greig – Thomas Greig Stark J.P. and since his sudden death in Cairo in December 1891 by his son, John Stark. [Elliot page 130]
1861 and 1871 they are listed as bleachers and calico printer but the company is now Watson & Stark. [Drake and Worrall].
1879 Watson withdrew and Thomas Greig Stark became sole proprietor – he ran the business until his death in 1891. [Simpson page 72]
Mr Thomas G. Stark of Rosebank was Captain of the Volunteers Corps in its first year 1860/1. [Elliot page 157].
According to the Trade Directories Richard Cunliffe was the bleach works manager at Rosebank in 1883 and 1888 [Barrett 1883 and Slater 1888]
Thomas G. Stark still resided at Rosebank in 1888 when he was listed as a calico printer & bleacher. [Slater].
During the tenancy of the Greig’s and Starks etc, the mill was still owned by the Rostrons. Ownership then passed to the Fieldens, due to a failed business venture by Richard Rostron. Fielden’s leased the mill to Turnbull and Stockdale in 1896 and sold it to them in 1900. [Simpson page 72]
In 1896 the business was taken over by Turnbull & Stockdale who developed and produced the renowned ‘Rosebank Fabric’ which graced the homes of many and the palaces of kings both at home and abroad. Previous to this date Turnbull & Stockdale operated at Stacksteads. [Goldthorpe page 71]
William Turnbull served his apprenticeship with William Rumney & Co at Stubbins.
1920 Turnbull & Stockdale acquired the agency of the Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co, allowing them to sell special lines in brocades and damasks as well as calicos, linen and cretonnes [Clyde Tweedale RHS magazine No:5 c1992]
There was an advertisement in The Official Guide to Ramsbottom dated about 1838 which read:
‘Rose Bank Fabrics – A collection of decorative materials which have long been appreciated as containing the appropriate fabrics in colour and texture, designed expressly for their purpose. Here you will find the desired upholstery and curtain fabrics for the modest as well as the elaborate dwelling. Turnbull and Stockdale Limited, Rosebank Print Works, Ramsbottom, Nr Manchester. London Address: Roxburghe House, 273-287 Regent Street, W1.’
The firm of Turnbull and Stockdale did have a subsidiary company called the Woodhey Dyeing Co. ( not connected to the one at Hawkshaw (Bleaklow –is under re-development 2008). This was situated below Woodhey School and managed by Tommy Cain, grandson of William Stockdale. It ceased trading about 1950 and was demolished. Since 1932 T & S used Cuba Mill (gutted by fire in 1974) and alongside it Union Mill. Only part of these buildings remains and are used as garages today. (1993) Rosebank had the T & S head offices added to the original mill but there were sales offices in Glasgow, Belfast, London, Birmingham and Manchester. Edward Turnbull notes that his father, Geoffrey Turnbull wrote a ‘History of Calico Printing in Great Britain’ for his MA at Manchester University in 1936 – edited by his brother John G. Turnbull in 1951 and dedicated to the memory of Geoffrey & Herbert. [RHS magazine No:7 1993 page 2]
The company slowly declined after its Jubilee in 1931. As a whole, the cotton industry was in decline at this time and T & S were affected by this.
1964 They were taken over by Arthur Sanderson & Son Ltd in 1964 but Rosebank continued to produce goods. However, they, in turn, were taken over by the Reed Group in 1967 when printing ceased. [1967 Official Guide to Ramsbottom]
1974 Part destroyed by a fire which broke out at the same time as another at Cuba Mill. The remaining buildings were divided into units. In 1980 the mill fell empty and plans were put forward to use the site as a ‘craft village’ with workshops, studios, offices, an hotel restaurant and residential flats. When nothing came of this idea the mill was demolished and houses built on the site. [Simpson page 75]
No date - Two Rivers - hand made watercolour paper manufactured at Rosebank Mill [leaflet found in RHS Archives, Civic Hall 2/09]
1987 - ‘Old English Reproductions’ - furniture, at Rosebank Mill [ Advert in ‘An Introuduction to Ramsbottom ‘- ELR Re-opening of Line July 1987 - A. Todd]
Site demolished 1992 [RHS magazine No:7 page 3].
Under Edward Turnbull Edenwood Mill survived together with the Croft End mill by the River Irwell Bridge at Stubbins which joined it in 1980 and a mill Stormer Hill in Tottington.
Turnbull & Stockdale Mills:
Chatterton – Bleachcroft – Edenwood Mill – Rosebank – Cuba. [Notes from RHS Exhibition 1989]
The following information is taken from the book ‘A History of Edenfield & District’ by John Simpson:
NEW BRIDGE MILLS / NEW BRIDGE BLEACHWORKS/THE CROFT BLEACHWORKS - became CROFT END BLEACHWORKS after 1900 when T & S bought it. - WAS PART OF THE SAME COMPLEX.
1801 Built by Thomas Sandiford, the elder and his partners at Stubbins Printworks
About 1815 The works were bought by John Rostron, who was then still running Edenwood and Rose Bank in partnership with his brother, James.
1834 J. Rostron leased bleachcroft to Jackson, Watson & Greig, who had taken over at Rosebank.
By 1870s The two buildings were linked by an aerial tramway that carried lengths of cloth from the bleachcroft to the white room at Rose bank..
Ownership passed through the Rostron family to Fieldens and then to Turnbull & Stockdale in 1900 and in 1964 to Sandersons – they closed it in 1968.
Ramsbottom Bleaching & Dyeing Co Ltd, which was set up by some former T & S employees ,who ran the croft for about 12 years.
1971 Fire destroyed the dye house.
7.8.1971 Newspaper Article found in RHS Archive in Civic Hall 2/2009: ‘Three Ramsbottom firemen were burned about the face by caustic soda solution at the Stubbins works of the Ramsbottom Bleaching & Dyeing Company on Saturday.
Two workmen who fought the fire were also burned by the soda and had to have treatment at Bury General Hospital. After a battle lasting more than an hour and involving five fire crews the fire was contained within the limits of the dyeing room, which was gutted.
After the firm’s technical director, Mr Eric Rostron, said of the firemen ‘They did a really marvellous job. They contained it in a remarkable way’.
Mr Dunn the night watchman has earlier raised the alarm after seeing smoke and flames in the dyeworks section. He hitched a lift on a passing vehicle to Ramsbottom fire station and later returned to help operations. When firemen first reached the works five minutes after the alarm at 2.08am they found the fire with good hold. The dyehouse in the centre of the factory is completely surrounded by the other departments, some of which contained great quanities of cloth. In the dyehouse itself four ‘jigs’ bought for £1,200 each five years ago were put beyond further use. Also destroyed were a winchbeck machine, a caustic recuperator and a winding frame. One theory was that the fire was started through a flash of lightning has already been discounted though no definite cause has yet been pinpointed.’
By 1980 firm became a subsidiary of Woodhey Dyeing Company.
Bleachcroft closed and was taken over by Edward Turnbull & Co Ltd, the Edenwood block printer.
Don’t know when Edward Turnbull stopped operating at other places but 2009 the company is called Turnbull Design and is at Stormer Hill
Neither seems to have been water powered but water is certainly needed for the bleaching process. [Goldthorpe page 71]. In fact comments made by the Rumneys about the Irwell Reservoir Scheme in 1833 were that they had one engine of 18 H.P. and they would object ‘to water running past in the night’. Jackson Watson & Greig operated at Rose Bank Print Works and New Bridge Bleaching Works in 1833.
Turnbull&Stockdale ad FBI Reg, of Brit. Manufacturers 1950-1- see file on mills