STUBBINS VALE MILL
Covered comprehensively in John Simpson’s book ‘A History of Edenfield & District’.
Built about 1850
The Porritts had been textile manufacturers for generations, first in their native Yorkshire and then in Lancashire. In the late 18th century, Joseph Porritt, a clothier in Birkenshaw, near Bradford, had decided to cross the Pennines settling first near Rochdale and then in Bury. Following his death, his son, also called Joseph continued the business in partnership with Isaac Chadwick. This arrangement continued until 1825 when Joseph died and was succeeded by his son, another Joseph Porritt. In 1829 the Porritt-Chadwick partnership was dissolved and Joseph was joined by his younger brother, James to establish the firm of J & J Porritt. Until this time, the Porritts had been producing woollen cloths of various kinds but conditions were changing and the brothers now turned to the manufacture of fabrics which were required as an integral part of machinery used in various industries. These included specially made felts to protect paper as it was dried around steam heated cylinders. Felts were also used in calico printing, while flannel and other cloths were needed for sizing frames and during the process of carding cotton. [www.strongstry.com – J. Simpson]
In an un-named Directory for Bury dated 1816 Chadwick & Porritt are listed at Stanley Street. [Some notes on Old Bury by Fred Howarth - Reprinted from Bury Guardian 1917 - photocopy found in RHS Archives in Civic Hall Feb 2009]
J & J Porritt had premises in Stanley Street Bury in 1829. The business expanded so rapidly that within a few years these premises were too small. The Porritts heard that a mill of a suitable size was available at Dearden Clough, Edenfield and the firm moved there in 1838. The lease, dated 1st May 1837, was granted for 14 years. In 1838 the firm’s equipment, stock and manufacturing goods were worth about £2,700 – three years later this figure had more than doubled. The youngest brother, Samuel, joined the firm in 1838.
In 1842 John Austin, the brother in law of James Porritt, joined the firm. The years that followed were prosperous ones for the company, as local industry was growing rapidly. If they were to continue to expand they would need larger premises. The Porritts decided to lease another mill at Springwood Ramsbottom. They also leased the mill site at Kibboth Crew and operated on both sites. The assets of the company continued to grow and the Porritts again faced the problem of premises. The brothers wanted to be free from the vagaries of landlords and decided to become mill owners themselves.
J & J Porritt bought the Stubbins Vale site for £3,000 in summer 1850. By the end of the following year the firm, now styled Porritt Brothers & Austin, were established in their own mill with assets valued at £21,000.
The original Stubbins Vale Mill was an interesting five storey stone structure. It was almost symmetrical in composition. It was cut into the hillside and comprised the taller buildings around three sides of an internal courtyard and a later single storey office block at the front linking between a gable on either side, together with a lofty chimney placed centrally on the hillside behind. [Goldthorpe page 65/66]
They bought the Stubbins Vale Estate in the Irwell Valley and began to build their mill alongside the railway line. They used millstone grit from quarries on the estate, thus reducing the building costs. The mill was designed by James Porritt and he was so anxious to see that the work was properly carried out, that he went up on the scaffolding every day and was actually seen climbing to the top of the chimney stack to make a careful examination. They also built houses for their workers and a lodge on the hillside above.
Stubbins Vale, which supplied the factory and estate, also a wet house where the cloth was stored before tentering. In 1851 the partnership of Porritt Bros & Austin were installed in the new mill.
As well as the mill, the Porritts built houses, both for themselves and their workers. Stubbins Vale House, which James built for himself, was nearest to the mill, standing on the left of the road from Stubbins. His brother, Samuel, had The Cliffe, which was built on the hillside above the mill with a wide prospect of the Irwell Valley. The third house, Greenmount, Joseph Porritt’s home, stood overlooking the old farm at Strongstry. The total cost of building the three dwellings was £5,650.
In these new premises at Stubbins Vale Mill, the firm was able to extend its range of products. Machinery was installed for cotton spinning and power looms were purchased for weaving cotton and linen fabrics. On the hand-looms they wove grey sieve cloths, grey twill filter cloths, common twill brats, twill roller cloth, steamer blankets, dry felts, round cylinder press felts, surface sieve jacketing, foudrinier press felts and fine chair felts.
On the power looms grey twill cleaner cloths, fine twill plaidings, grey plain union superfine and plain swanskin were woven for the calico printing, cotton spinning and paper industries.
For the sugar refining industry they made their filter cloths for straining sugar and linen sheathing for the vats in which the sugar was boiled and the made ‘scum-bags’ from cotton.
Also in 1852 they opened a Glasgow warehouse to supply the Scottish paper makers.
In 1858 Joseph Porritt, the senior partner, withdrew from the firm to start his own business at the still vacant Springwood mill, as Joseph Porritt & Sons. (He later left Springwood to go to Sunny Bank Mill at Helmshore). (Again, they also operated at the mill site of Kibboth Crew - kath) There was no dispute between the partners but the three Porritt brothers had some twelve sons between them and their portion of the assets of the firm would not, therefore, be very great. Another account of this incident says that there had been an acrimonious dispute about the position in the firm of William John Porritt, Joseph’s eldest son, who had been dismissed from his position at the mill. Joseph could see that the future of his other sons in the firm would never be settled in a way that could satisfy him. Joseph took his share of the firm in cash, goods and equipment. His sons joined him at Springwood and a considerable number of the workforce left Stubbins Vale Mill to go with him ‘out of respect and attachment’. He took up residence at Irwell Mount, Ramsbottom.
Some accounts of this incident say there was NO dispute between the partners but another account indicates that Joseph’s eldest son, William John Porritt, was dismissed from his post at the mill and Joseph felt that the future of his other sons at the mill, could be compromised.
Following Joseph’s departure in 1858 the remaining partners continued to manufacture machine clothing on the 50 remaining hand-looms and 26 power-looms. There followed a period of adjustment at Stubbins as Joseph’s departure left the firm short of working capital and new equipment had to be installed in the empty spaces left, when Joseph had taken his share of the machinery.
A second mill was added to the site in 1862, a central shed built in 1869 and the fireproof mill built in 1874 along with another weaving shed. In 1866 there were other additions namely a sud house and pits, store shed and cooling room and a dyehouse. The Wet House or Tentering Tower was built on the hillside above the mill. The Porritts also built dining and reading rooms for their workers, on land between the railway and the entrance to the mills.
The cotton famine caused by the American Civil War 1861-1865 hit the company somewhat but it was saved by the fact that it had kept up the manufacture of woollen goods. During the cotton famine the Porritts mills were not closed even for a single day.
1866 Castellated tenter tower erected on hillside behind the mills
In 1866 Samuel Porritt also left the firm at Stubbins Vale to establish his own company together with his five sons, at Bamford. This was a financial setback but, once again, the company recovered. The name of the company was changed to Porritt, Brothers & Austin.
In 1877 the company was facing strong foreign competition. The Porritts were amongst those manufacturers who complained to the government about this state of affairs, calling for some protection for the home industries.
Within a few years of James Porritt’s death, the business was being run by Richard Millett Porritt and his son, Austin Townsend Porritt (John Austin Porritt retired in 1899). Richard Porritt died in 1906, leaving his son in full control of the mills and estate. He continued the programme of modernisation started by his father building a new weaving shed in 1907 and installing electric lighting throughout the mill in 1908.
[Unless otherwise notated, the above information was taken from a booklet written by Derek Fitton - Projects Manager Voith Fabrics 2000 and the internet website .w.w.strongstry.com – J. Simpson]
In 1914 Porritt Bros & Austin merged with the firm of J.H. Spencer & Sons of Mossfield, Bury to become Porritt & Spencer Ltd. They traded at Stubbins Vale Mill producing woven goods for specialised markets. Porritt & Spencer quickly established itself within the paper-making industry concentrating its experience and manufacturing strength into the production of woollen wet and cotton dryer fabrics.
After WW1 Porritts and Spencer were exporting products around the world and they successfully weathered the slump of the 1920s. By 1921 Stubbins Vale had become the cotton centre of the company, concentrating on cotton dry felts. To make room for the additional machinery the mills had to be enlarged. The reading and dining rooms were demolished and rebuilt three storeys high and a new weaving shed erected over one of the old lodges. In 1926 a new Cotton Warehouse was added – this housed Vickers drying cylinders and many new looms to supplement those already operating on the other side of the roadway. The filter cloths department was also growing and by the end of the 1920s Stubbins Vale was weaving fabrics for customers whose products included sugar, dyestuffs, essences, edible oils soaps, and china clay.
The Depression of the 1930s caused a general reduction in wages and short time working but expansion continued and a new cotton picking room and new cotton weaving shed were built in 1937.
During WW2 there was a shortage of raw materials and manpower which made it impossible to maintain full production. The woollen piece goods section was closed down but the finishing section was kept open to handle goods from other mills and papermaker’s felt continued to be in great demand. A canteen was opened at the mill. Greenmount, one of the Porritt’s houses was taken over by the military.
Very soon after the start of WW2, a lot of the departments on the woollen side closed down as there wasn’t a lot of work. Some rooms were used for the storage of government foodstuffs such as sugar and corned beef. When the two land mines were dropped in Stubbins, a lot of the windows in the mill were shattered, including many of the northern light windows in that part of the weaving shed. Some of the glass had dropped right through on to the looms and cut through the warps. So that the mill could continue working, old stock cloth was used to cover the mill windows until the glass could be replaced. [RHS mag No: 29 2005 page 14]
Austin Porritt’s only son, Richard Whittaker Porritt age 31, was killed, during the retreat of the B.E.F. to Dunkirk. He had joined the firm in 1936 and he was also an M.P. for Heywood and Radcliffe Division.
For some time after WW2, a shortage of manpower and raw materials continued to be a problem. However, Porritts & Spencer soon began exporting papermaker’s felts to those markets which had been closed in the war and this led to further expansion at Stubbins Vale. A new weaving shed was erected and 80 Northrop looms installed in 1947/48 followed by a further 14 looms in the late 1950s. In addition, spacious new offices were built in 1951 to mark the centenary of the mill. The stone came from the demolished Stubbins Vale House.
Austin T. Porritt died in 1956
1955 heralded a technological first when Porritts & Spencer introduced the synthetic forming fabric to the papermaker, the results of which established firm development of the all-modolfilament ‘wire’ leading to the many patented designs which Unaform holds.
The acquisition, in 1969, of Porritts & Spencer by Scapa Group plc (Blackburn based company) served not only to consolidate the company’s manufacturing base, but also assisted in providing it with a wider profile to world markets. The company became Scapa Porritt Ltd.
During the 1970s there was a re-organisation of the Scapa Group’s mills and production of yarn was moved from Stubbins Vale to Mossfield Mill. This sounded the death knell for James Porritt’s magnificent five storey mills, which were not suitable for modern machinery They stood empty for twelve months before demolition began in 1978. The 180ft chimney was the last to go in 1979. Those buildings which had once housed the cotton side of the business and that had been nick-named :The White City’ became the home of Scapa Synthoform Ltd, later known as Unaform Ltd and then Voith Fabrics.
Base of chimney remains and bears the inscription P BRS & A 1851 [Goldthorpe page 66]
In 1982 some of the buildings on the other side of Stubbins Vale Road were acquired by TNT Express (UK) Ltd. They took over what was left of the ‘mill bottom’ (that had housed the fulling stocks), a drying room and two weaving sheds built in 1874 and 1926 and transformed them into the administrative Head Office for the entire company. [Simpson page 101/102]
1982 saw the introduction of Synthoform, which for five years spearheaded Scapa Group’s wet-end operations. In 1987 the company was incorporated into Unaform - 1992 company changed its name to Unaform. [Unaform document – RHS Archive doc. No: 595 Bury Archives]
In 1998 the company changed its name to Scapa Forming plc and in 1999 the company was taken over by the Heidenheim Germany based company Voith and the company was renamed again - this time Voith Fabrics. [Voith Fabrics - Brief History. A self profile written in 2000 for the RHS]
The only buildings to remain from the oldest part of the mills were the single storey offices and gatehouse which once flanked the entrance to the railyard.
The old square tenter-house or blanket house still stands [August 2008]
Brief History of TNT: In 1946 thirty three year old Ken Thomas established K.W. Transport in Austalia with a single truck. In 1958 K.W. Transport changes its name to Thomas Nationwide Transport and TNT is born. In 1978 Expanded into the UK market with the purchase of the Lancashire based Inter County Express which at that time had 500 employees and less than £5m turnover.
2008/9 TNT enlarged their offices on site and Stubbins Vale Mill became the TNT UK Group’s Administration Centre:
TNT UK Administration Centre
Stubbins Vale Mill
Ramsbottom
Lancashire BL10 9AR Tel: 01706 827511
From a corporate publication, undated but pre- STD telephone codes fround in RHS archives in Civic Hall Feb 2009:
The Porritt family were engaged in the textile industry as far back as 1808. In 1829 manufacture was moved to Edenfield and in 1851 a new mill was built by Porritt Brothers at Stubbins Vale - Joseph, James & Samuel.
In 1856 Joseph withdrew and built Sunnybank Mill, Helshore, followed by Samuel who purchased what is now known as Bamford Woollen Mills, Near Rochdale. In 1914 their descendants were re-united and in conjunction with J.H. Spencer & Sons Ltd created Porritts & Spencer Ltd.
1920 Porritt & Spencer (Canada) Ltd established in Hamilton, Ontario and then Waterbury Felt Company at Skaneateles Falls, Nr Syracuse, New York USA acquired. Name changed to Porritt & Spencer (USA) Ltd in 1962.
The Porritt & Spencer Mills listed in the corporate brochure were:
Sunnybank Mills
Mossfield Mills - founded by J.H. Spencer and his sons in 1904 - specializing in woollen wet felts - renowned for its news and board felts.
Stubbins Vale Mills - mainly concerned with production of cotton, cotton synthetic and wholly synthetic dryer felts.
Bamford Mill - production of a large variety of tubular and other technical cloths employed in the leather, printing and laundry industries.
Meadowcroft Mills, Near Rochdale - finishing of woollen fabrics
Broadway Mills, Haslingden - speciality products.
Albert Mills - produced needle felts and synthetic wires for the paper and allied industries.