Monument record 11018 - Cotton works at the Canal

A cotton works is recorded at the Northgate Locks in the 18th century. First recorded on Stockdale’s map of 1796 it appears at the junction of the old Northgate Locks and the old line of the Dee canal branch. It was later replaced by a public baths. (1)

It was built in 1767 by Lancashire businessmen using workers from the House of Industry and housed ten pairs of looms. (3)

Recent archaeological investigations along Water Tower Road in 2012 identified a small quantity of rubble infill in test pit 4 that may have come from the demolition levels of the cotton mill. (4)

<1> Stockdale, 1796, A Plan of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH6510.

<2> Cole, G, 1805, Chester 1805 (Map of) (Maps and Plans). SCH6511.

<3> Chester Local History, 1996-Present, Chester Local History News, Spring 1996 (Newsletter). SCH4494.

<4> Cornerstone Archaeology, 2013, Gas Pipe Improvements on Tower Road, Chester: An archaeological watching brief (Client Report). SCH7026.