Author Topic: Royal Mill, Ancoats  (Read 5566 times)

Carl

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Royal Mill, Ancoats
« on: 10:21:47, 18/09/12 »
It's been a while since I was last in Ancoats and from what I gather, Royal Mill has now been converted into apartments.  I have some photographs which I shot back in 1995 showing how it used to look - at the time, there were still some businesses on site.  I hope they may be of some interest.
































I also shot some pictures of surrounding buildings which were practically in ruins, including a pub, but unfortunately I don't know their names nor their history.


Mancgirl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #1 on: 13:39:59, 18/09/12 »
Carl, thanks for sharing those brilliant clear photos!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mill

Carl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #2 on: 00:58:41, 19/09/12 »
You're welcome, and thank you for your kind words, and for the link too. 


The only business I actually knew at the Royal Mill was a clothing manufacturer called Bolton Brothers, which made coats.  The business closed down in around 1993 or thereabouts, but over the years there were various other small units operating at the Mill.


Mancgirl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #3 on: 15:06:18, 19/09/12 »
Hi Carl... I worked at Moston Mill ( Courtaulds ) in the 70s until I was made redundant. Not sure if this link will work but this is the machine I operated .. twice this length .. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxZN-dH6-g It was a very noisy enviroment as you can imagine.

Carl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #4 on: 01:04:17, 20/09/12 »
Hi Mancgirl, thank you for the link - it worked just fine.  Yes, running a machine like that would definitely have kept you busy, plus as you say, the continuous noise that went with it as well would have made for a very long day, I'm sure.  I recall a guy I knew very briefly where I used to work in the early 1990's who mentioned about having worked at Courtaulds, so I'm assuming it would have been the same kind of machinery you were operating.

Manx

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #5 on: 10:31:41, 20/09/12 »
Some great clear shots there Carl of Royal Mill. Indeed the mill has been converted, here is a link to a restoration case study of the mill - zoom into the sub shots for greater detail.
 
Industrial decline and decay is an excellent photographic subject matter.
   
http://www.ukrestoration.co.uk/case-studies/royal-mills/

Carl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #6 on: 11:00:12, 20/09/12 »
Excellent, many thanks indeed for the link.  The transformation is incredible.  I'm glad that at least the Mill is still there, and I fully agree with you with regards to photographing industrial decline.  I love comparing pictures showing how a building looked in the past to how it looks today - a sort of "then and now" comparison.


I also have some photographs taken in the early 1990's in Castlefield showing several buildings in a sorry state, but regrettably, I didn't make a note of the precise location.  I would love to re-shoot the scenes again to compare them.


Thank you again for the link you provided.   :)


Manx

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #7 on: 10:06:36, 24/09/12 »
Carl, why not show one of those Castlefield area photo's? - someone might be able to pinpoint the location - perhaps then you could make an interesting 'now-and-then' re-shoot.

Old Manchester photographs are a graphical link with the past and must be preserved forever.  :)

Carl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #8 on: 10:30:13, 24/09/12 »
Hi Manx, thanks for your reply.  Yes that's a good idea, I'll start another thread and put some pictures up on there. 

Mancgirl

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ioRe: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #9 on: 11:26:08, 24/09/12 »
Morning! Great idea Manx ..  I would like to see them too .

shelleygirl

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #10 on: 21:42:19, 28/11/12 »
My dad worked in the Royal Mill......he was a cloth cutter for a clothing firm....remember travelling up in the rickety old lift with the iron gates.......you could see the crumbly old brick inside the shaft as you traveled up. His floor looked out over the canal & we used to meet him with our mum at lunchtime on Saturdays when he finished work. He would watch for us & wave from the front windows & we used to wait at the gates for him.......nice memories!

Kadgill

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #11 on: 22:27:57, 11/12/12 »
I worked at royal mill on the second floor of your picture where it shows the hoist ,I used to lower carpets on that hoist and the moved to the ground floor facing volmax car park

micwolstencroft

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Re: Royal Mill, Ancoats
« Reply #12 on: 16:06:58, 28/11/19 »
Hello,


I'm a Solicitor and I'm helping a working man who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer (mesothelioma) caused by asbestos dust that he inhaled when he worked at the Royal Mill between 1987 to 1990 for Jerrold Manufacturing Textiles (Co) Limited.


Like the previous poster, he recalls lowering and raising fabric on a hoist on to the ground floor at Royal Mill and then he would carry the fabric rolls to the machine area.


I would be really grateful if anyone has any information about Royal Mill and asbestos, the layout of Royal Mill or Jerrolds, the man I represent has a very serious illness and we would appreciate any information no matter how trivial.


Direct message me if you have any information, if you can't DM me then if you google my name it will come up with my profile with a link to my work email, my name is Michael Wolstencroft and I work at Slater & Gordon in Manchester.


Thank-you :)


Michael