Grade 2 listed, Wear Mill, or as it is currently known Weir mill is located along the banks of the River Mersey slap bang in the centre of Stockport.
It was constructed in 1790 for John Collier and has since undergone many rebuilds and extensions. In 1824 it was purchased by Thomas Fearnley fine cotton spinners & doublers ltd The 1790 mill was rebuilt in 1884 and the only part remaining of that earlier mill is the lower levels of the Waterhouse. Unfortunately we couldn’t gain access to this and the upper levels were too far gone and a total deathtrap. Maybe one for another day on the kayaks.
The other mill was destroyed by fire in 1831 and replaced with a six storey eleven bay fireproof mill. This was powered by a beam engine with the internal engine house situated to the East end of the mill. Where the famous Stockport Viaduct was built over it in 1840.
Further to the East are the weaving sheds, which were powered by their own engine house which was built against one of the piers of the viaduct.
I’m unsure when cotton spinning ceased at the mill but it has, like many others been a mixed use site for many many years now. Furniture outlet, car parts, valet parking, engineering, art studios and the majority of the mill more recently for paintball and airsoft. The usual sort of businesses you find in these old mills.
It’s currently undergoing a conversion into apartments as part of the huge development plan Stockport MBC have agreed for the whole area. The bus station is being totally re done, quite a few industrial units in the area are going, Lundy’s, The Garage Door Company, Ironsides Lubricants, the bus depot etc are all due to be flattened in the next few years. So there’s potential for a few more things to check out. Nothing too interesting though IMO.
It’s well on the radar and I’m surprised it’s not had any attention yet. I actually gained permission to do it last week, but then when I returned with the camera the bloke fucked me off and lied to me saying that he never gave me permission. So out of spite I it was getting done one way or another, It is also camera’d up, and has one of them pre recorded shouty things.
Pics are a mix of phone, DSLR and scans from one of my books ‘Cotton Mills in Greater Manchester”
I’ll start with plan of the mill
How the site currently looks
Some recently released plans for the mill and the bus station. Speaking to one of the old boys on site last week he told me that the plans had changed and the two storey building at the front was going to remain as it’s in better condition than they thought, apparently.
Bus station plans with the A6 and Hatworks to the left.
An old photo of the 1790 Waterhouse
And today
The East end of the 1831 fireproof mill showing the engine house
Looking down to the weaving sheds and where their engine house would have been on the end, under the viaduct.
And old view inside the 1831 mill
An old photo of the unusual narrow vaults used in the construction of the 1884 part of the mill.
The same floors today
The mill has had some seriously butchery over the years so it’s quite hard to distinguish what’s what in some places. The following pictures show various parts of the two engine house’s labelled F and G on the plan posted above.
Between these is what I imagine was where the vertical drive gear was installed, although it looks like a small rope race.
It was constructed in 1790 for John Collier and has since undergone many rebuilds and extensions. In 1824 it was purchased by Thomas Fearnley fine cotton spinners & doublers ltd The 1790 mill was rebuilt in 1884 and the only part remaining of that earlier mill is the lower levels of the Waterhouse. Unfortunately we couldn’t gain access to this and the upper levels were too far gone and a total deathtrap. Maybe one for another day on the kayaks.
The other mill was destroyed by fire in 1831 and replaced with a six storey eleven bay fireproof mill. This was powered by a beam engine with the internal engine house situated to the East end of the mill. Where the famous Stockport Viaduct was built over it in 1840.
Further to the East are the weaving sheds, which were powered by their own engine house which was built against one of the piers of the viaduct.
I’m unsure when cotton spinning ceased at the mill but it has, like many others been a mixed use site for many many years now. Furniture outlet, car parts, valet parking, engineering, art studios and the majority of the mill more recently for paintball and airsoft. The usual sort of businesses you find in these old mills.
It’s currently undergoing a conversion into apartments as part of the huge development plan Stockport MBC have agreed for the whole area. The bus station is being totally re done, quite a few industrial units in the area are going, Lundy’s, The Garage Door Company, Ironsides Lubricants, the bus depot etc are all due to be flattened in the next few years. So there’s potential for a few more things to check out. Nothing too interesting though IMO.
It’s well on the radar and I’m surprised it’s not had any attention yet. I actually gained permission to do it last week, but then when I returned with the camera the bloke fucked me off and lied to me saying that he never gave me permission. So out of spite I it was getting done one way or another, It is also camera’d up, and has one of them pre recorded shouty things.
Pics are a mix of phone, DSLR and scans from one of my books ‘Cotton Mills in Greater Manchester”
I’ll start with plan of the mill
How the site currently looks
Some recently released plans for the mill and the bus station. Speaking to one of the old boys on site last week he told me that the plans had changed and the two storey building at the front was going to remain as it’s in better condition than they thought, apparently.
Bus station plans with the A6 and Hatworks to the left.
An old photo of the 1790 Waterhouse
And today
The East end of the 1831 fireproof mill showing the engine house
Looking down to the weaving sheds and where their engine house would have been on the end, under the viaduct.
And old view inside the 1831 mill
An old photo of the unusual narrow vaults used in the construction of the 1884 part of the mill.
The same floors today
The mill has had some seriously butchery over the years so it’s quite hard to distinguish what’s what in some places. The following pictures show various parts of the two engine house’s labelled F and G on the plan posted above.
Between these is what I imagine was where the vertical drive gear was installed, although it looks like a small rope race.
Thanks for sharing d&b
