Monument record 2598/3 - Waterhouse Mill

<1> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

The name Waterhouse is depicted on this map.

<2> Calladine A & Fricker J, 1993, East Cheshire Textile Mills, p.106-9, 114 (ECTMS 132) (Book). SCH1093.

Waterhouse Mill made the specialised product of fine cotton yarn for lace in the 1830s. The Swindells family operated Waterhouse Mill, in partnership with Thomas Oliver, from around 1832 until 1841. Thomas Oliver & Sons, owners of Waterhouse Mill, came under the control of the Fine Cotton Spinners and Doublers Association Ltd. although they were still run at a local level by the owning companies. The company specialised, as traditionally Thomas Oliver & Sons had done, in the spinning of extremely fine yarns for lace and muslins, and by the 1940s had developed 'Sylex', a cotton yarn so fine that they could claim it was comparable to silk. The mill building was widened to accommodate new machinery in 1857, presumably utilising the latest cast iron building techniques for “fireproof” industrial buildings.

<3> Longden G, 1988, The Industrial Revolution in East Cheshire: Six Theme Walks, p.20 (Book). SCH3193.

This newer section did not open fully until 1861, due to Thomas Oliver spending the machinery money on raw cotton. When the effects of the American Civil War took hold, Waterhouse Mill had enough stockpiled cotton to continue spinning. The mill was water powered until 1857. It was demolished in 1960, except for the offices and a square chimney.

<4> Bellway Homes, 2013/2014, Waterhouse Mill, Historic Environment Record (Client Report). SCH7662.

Elias and Peter Lomas in partnership with Thomas Oliver established Thomas Oliver and Sons, cotton spinners, in the 1770s or 1780s at the nearby Ingersley Vale Mill. Thomas Oliver and Sons built Waterhouse Mill, completed in 1791, close to the tannery owned by the Lomas brothers. This building was destroyed by fire in 1800 but was rebuilt and later extended. The mill was originally powered by water from the River Dean, but by 1805 this was being augmented by a steam powered beam engine. By the middle of the twentieth century cotton spinning was moving to India and other places in the eastern hemisphere and by 1960 the Waterhouse mill was closed. It was soon demolished.

When the mill was demolished in 1962 everything down to ground level was removed, but belowground features, such as the wheel pit, survived beneath the later industrial buildings. Although no remains of the wheel survived, the wheel pit did appear to have been reused to house the condenser for a steam engine. A short section of the leat supplying water from the Dean to the wheel survives at its northern end. The wheels tail race comprised a brick culvert which allowed the water to return to the river.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ9277, 1871-1873 (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

This map depicts the mill complex. A gasometer is depicted amongst the mill buildings and the water wheel is located on the south-eastern side. It is connected to a mill pond. A leat adjoins the pond at it's northern end, which connects the River Dane to the north.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1896-1898, Ordnance Survey First Revision County Series (Epoch 2) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ9277, 1897-1898 (Maps and Plans). SCH3848.

The gasometer is no longer depicted.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1909-1912, Ordnance Survey Second Revision County Series (Epoch 3) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ9277, 1909 (Maps and Plans). SCH4361.

The water wheel is no longer depicted, the mill pond is labelled as a reservoir.

<8> Thomas R, 2020, Historic England Research Report: The Manufactured Gas Industry in England (volumes I-V), Vol.3 p.66 (Report). SCH9005.

Cotton Spinning Mill, gasometer present on the 1871, gasworks to light the cotton mill.

<9> CgMs Consulting, 2011, Land to the West of Wellington Road, Bollington, Macclesfield:Heritage Assessment, p.17 (Client Report). SCH6755.

Waterhouse Cotton Mill is not evident on either Bryant’s 1831 map (see 1) or the tithe map (see 10). This may be due to the fact that the original Mill complex (which was built in 1791) burnt down only a few years after construction was completed and was subsequently only rebuilt in the 1840’s.

<10> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 56/2, 1849 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

This area is not depicted in detail on this map.