Washpit Mills, Holmfirth - 2015-16
When reading up on an industrial premises this old, with its very earliest beginnings dating from the embryonic conception of the factory system itself, it is evident that you're reading about a shared history. Not only do you uncover the specific history of just one particular mill, but alongside is also documented much of the changing attitudes to the workplace and conditions of work that would be influenced on a national scale at various intervals throughout the course of two hundred years.
The earliest parts of this mill appeared in 1822, which were extended in 1827. The owners, Joseph and George Hinchcliff, were said to be employed in the rather humble task of "making woollen in all its branches", which meant that they were taking raw wool and processing it into spun yarn, as, at the time, they had neither looms nor fulling mills and, despite the presence of a plentyful water supply from the Higgin dike, did not have a water-wheel. In common with many other mills at that time they were possibly engaged in what is known as "country work", the processing of loose wool into yarn on behalf of the local self-employed weavers.
It seems the policy on child labour and working hours at this time was the first to come into question...
By the end of the Crimean War in 1856, the women working in the mill might have had a few words to say about the celebratory treat the Hinchliffe's had laid on for their staff, as was common with many manufacturers at the end of the war...
From this time the Hinchliff's were starting to experience difficulties running the business, and by 1873, James Watkinson had moved into this mill. The firm Day and Watkinson came into being in 1859, and it was possible they were using Washpit Mill by 1862 - but their place of business is not known. By 1864 the firm was known as Day, Watkinson and Company, but by 1875 the Day connection had ceased and the firm became James Watkinson and Son.
I quite enjoyed this tale of a fracas in the workplace from October 1866...
At the start of the James Watkinson and Son tenure comes the first episode of some significant industrial strike action...
Watkinson's continued to expand and update the premises throughout their tenure.
The Yorkshire Trade Directory for 1910 lists James Watkinson & Sons Ltd. as having 5,700 spindles, and 140 looms. It gives their production as 'mixed goods'; as throughout the life of the company they produced woollen cloth, being one of the few companies in our district not to move almost entirely into worsteds. One of their principle areas of production was serges for military uniforms that stemmed from firm's production of the first wool-dyed khaki serge used by the British Government in 1900. Mr James Brook Watkinson died on 17 January 1922 at the age of 58, having been connected with the mill throughout his life.
Production continued to increase; by the early 1940s the spinning capacity had increased to 7,800 spindles, but the number of looms had fallen slighly to 130, probably due to the installation of modern faster looms that would produce more cloth in a shorter space of time.
The workforce prior to the war was between 500 and 600, whereas by the early 50s they employed 340 people; not due to a reduction in output, but entirely due to improvements in machinery. Everything appeared to be going well until the 1970s - when all mills were experiencing difficulties.
Early in 1980, James Watkinson & Sons Ltd. went into receivership; it was announced in May that the workforce was to be reduced from 230 to 102; and in October it was announced that the company would close before Christmas.
A quarter of a century later and the same fate of a seasonal Christmas closure would sadly fall on Washpit Mills' next significant resident, Westwood Yarns.
By 1988, Westwood Yarns carpet spinners, a division of Victoria Carpet Co. of Kidderminster, were using part of the mill. They had since made alterations to the buildings - demolishing some of the older parts of the mill and making new additions in the 1990s.
On the 23rd of December 2015 the Huddersfield Examiner reported '135 jobs at risk at historic Westwood Yarns in Holmfirth - two days before Christmas' and said that the administators had been called in. By the 6th of January, 94 jobs had been lost with the remainder employed to complete outstanding orders. By February, the company had ceased trading.
Over these months I decided I needed to be quick and start checking in on the premises on a regular basis so I could view the place before the assets were sold off to pay creditors. On one walk around the site with Hidden, we bumped into the head administrator and asked him if we could take a look inside. "No" was the resounding response, as there were "potential buyers looking around, and well, yer know, Health and Safety something or something".
"Oh Marky Mark Lord. Lordy, Lordy, Mark Lord. Have it your way", we said to ourselves.
So, I kept returning and eventually found a day when the site seemed quiet, just one lonely security guard on site, and found a way in. As is tradition, I returned with jST and Fudge to honour legwork and research; as a year or so ago, following a visit to a disused part of the mill, we had all had a silly run around inside the live part when the mill was still in the full swing of production. We had all kept up to date with the news stories throughout.
When reading up on an industrial premises this old, with its very earliest beginnings dating from the embryonic conception of the factory system itself, it is evident that you're reading about a shared history. Not only do you uncover the specific history of just one particular mill, but alongside is also documented much of the changing attitudes to the workplace and conditions of work that would be influenced on a national scale at various intervals throughout the course of two hundred years.
The earliest parts of this mill appeared in 1822, which were extended in 1827. The owners, Joseph and George Hinchcliff, were said to be employed in the rather humble task of "making woollen in all its branches", which meant that they were taking raw wool and processing it into spun yarn, as, at the time, they had neither looms nor fulling mills and, despite the presence of a plentyful water supply from the Higgin dike, did not have a water-wheel. In common with many other mills at that time they were possibly engaged in what is known as "country work", the processing of loose wool into yarn on behalf of the local self-employed weavers.
It seems the policy on child labour and working hours at this time was the first to come into question...
By the end of the Crimean War in 1856, the women working in the mill might have had a few words to say about the celebratory treat the Hinchliffe's had laid on for their staff, as was common with many manufacturers at the end of the war...
From this time the Hinchliff's were starting to experience difficulties running the business, and by 1873, James Watkinson had moved into this mill. The firm Day and Watkinson came into being in 1859, and it was possible they were using Washpit Mill by 1862 - but their place of business is not known. By 1864 the firm was known as Day, Watkinson and Company, but by 1875 the Day connection had ceased and the firm became James Watkinson and Son.
I quite enjoyed this tale of a fracas in the workplace from October 1866...
At the start of the James Watkinson and Son tenure comes the first episode of some significant industrial strike action...
Watkinson's continued to expand and update the premises throughout their tenure.
The Yorkshire Trade Directory for 1910 lists James Watkinson & Sons Ltd. as having 5,700 spindles, and 140 looms. It gives their production as 'mixed goods'; as throughout the life of the company they produced woollen cloth, being one of the few companies in our district not to move almost entirely into worsteds. One of their principle areas of production was serges for military uniforms that stemmed from firm's production of the first wool-dyed khaki serge used by the British Government in 1900. Mr James Brook Watkinson died on 17 January 1922 at the age of 58, having been connected with the mill throughout his life.
Production continued to increase; by the early 1940s the spinning capacity had increased to 7,800 spindles, but the number of looms had fallen slighly to 130, probably due to the installation of modern faster looms that would produce more cloth in a shorter space of time.
The workforce prior to the war was between 500 and 600, whereas by the early 50s they employed 340 people; not due to a reduction in output, but entirely due to improvements in machinery. Everything appeared to be going well until the 1970s - when all mills were experiencing difficulties.
Early in 1980, James Watkinson & Sons Ltd. went into receivership; it was announced in May that the workforce was to be reduced from 230 to 102; and in October it was announced that the company would close before Christmas.
A quarter of a century later and the same fate of a seasonal Christmas closure would sadly fall on Washpit Mills' next significant resident, Westwood Yarns.
By 1988, Westwood Yarns carpet spinners, a division of Victoria Carpet Co. of Kidderminster, were using part of the mill. They had since made alterations to the buildings - demolishing some of the older parts of the mill and making new additions in the 1990s.
On the 23rd of December 2015 the Huddersfield Examiner reported '135 jobs at risk at historic Westwood Yarns in Holmfirth - two days before Christmas' and said that the administators had been called in. By the 6th of January, 94 jobs had been lost with the remainder employed to complete outstanding orders. By February, the company had ceased trading.
Over these months I decided I needed to be quick and start checking in on the premises on a regular basis so I could view the place before the assets were sold off to pay creditors. On one walk around the site with Hidden, we bumped into the head administrator and asked him if we could take a look inside. "No" was the resounding response, as there were "potential buyers looking around, and well, yer know, Health and Safety something or something".
"Oh Marky Mark Lord. Lordy, Lordy, Mark Lord. Have it your way", we said to ourselves.
So, I kept returning and eventually found a day when the site seemed quiet, just one lonely security guard on site, and found a way in. As is tradition, I returned with jST and Fudge to honour legwork and research; as a year or so ago, following a visit to a disused part of the mill, we had all had a silly run around inside the live part when the mill was still in the full swing of production. We had all kept up to date with the news stories throughout.
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