Chadderton Mill, built 1884-85, was one of the many cotton spinning mills in Oldham, Lancashire. When it closed in 2000 it was one of the last mills in Oldham to be used by the textile industry, latterly for winding and doubling. Still standing, it is listed grade 2 because it is considered to be a good example of a spinning mill of its period. This well illustrated book places the mill in the context of the Lancashire cotton industry, looking at the origins and financing of the mill together with subsequent changes in ownership. The original construction, layout of machinery and workforce of the mill are described as are later extensions including change of use in the 1930s. Many of the illustrations were taken by the author before the mill closed in 2000.

This book examines the decline of the cotton textiles industry, which defined Britain as an industrial nation, from its peak in the late nineteenth century to the state of the industry at the end of the twentieth century. Focusing on the owners and managers of cotton businesses, the authors examine how they mobilised financial resources; their attitudes to industry structure and technology; and their responses to the challenges posed by global markets. The origins of the problems which forced the industry into decline are not found in any apparent loss of competitiveness during the long nineteenth century but rather in the disastrous reflotation after the First World War. As a consequence of these speculations, rationalisation and restructuring became more difficult at the time when they were most needed, and government intervention led to a series of partial solutions to what became a process of protracted decline. In the post-1945 period, the authors show how government policy encouraged capital withdrawal rather than encouraging the investment needed for restructuring. The examples of corporate success since the Second World War – such as David Alliance and his Viyella Group – exploited government policy, access to capital markets, and closer relationships with retailers, but were ultimately unable to respond effectively to international competition and the challenges of globalisation. The chapters in this book were originally published in Business History and Accounting, Business and Financial History.

Palmer Mills were cotton spinning mills in Stockport, Cheshire. Originally built in around 1822 by James Marshall they were extended considerably over the following three decades. They ceased operating in the early 1880s, by which time they were old and obsolete. A new company purchased the mills and largely demolished them before building a new mill, which was completed in 1887. A second mill was completed in 1890. With the decline in the cotton industry, the mills closed in 1931. The No.1 Mill was demolished in 1937 but the No.2 Mill continued in various uses until it was demolished in 1999. This well illustrated book is a history and technical description of the mills in the context of the Lancashire cotton industry.