ossy mills
 

what was the name of the mill when it was a working mill ? anyone Know thanks Magpie

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Hilden's?

Katex will know.

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Hilden was the marketing side ... the mill was Moscow Mill, hence Moscow Mill Street. The group name was Enfield Manufacturing.

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Told you Katex would know.

Knew Hilden mill didn't sound right.

:o

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was Enfield Mill in 60s when i worked yon.;) had a little pitch around back were we used to play football at dinner time.

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thanks boys and girls....

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Yes, but the mill was actually Moscow Mill which was Magpie's question.
The official address was: Enfield Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Moscow Mill, Colliers Street, Oswaldtwistle, Lancs.

Bit like when Enfield acquired the property in 1897 from the Walmseys, the older people still called it 'Walmsleys' for many years.

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thought the mill across from the Pickups Arms was Moscow Mill Kate?:confused:

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No, that was Clifton Mill... home of Hilden .. marketing/warehousing and sewing at one time, before the latter two moved to Woodnook.

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ok cheers fer that, was drinking a great deal when i supped in the Pickups, is my excuse.:D;)

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Had a few moments in there meself .... ;)

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Bill n Teresa had it in my day.;) top couple.

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Did'nt Ossy Mills open in 1991?.

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Had mi first pint in yon with John and Tom Henry, after a rehearsal with St Mary's amateurs back in 1961:D

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worked at Enfield Manufacturing Co during 1967......went there from David Whiteheads in Rawtenstall.
What a culture shock to go from Northrop Automatic looms to Lancashire twill and dobbies.
Can't say I enjoyed it much.......but anyway my stay was shortlived. I left Christmas 1967 to have my daughter and never went back.
I did meet some very good friends there......but the transistion from automatics to Lancashire looms was not enjoyable for me.

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According to Companies House, Bee, the incorportion date was 13/5/94. It was a mill shop before then for Moscow Mill, but not officially Oswaldtwistle Mills Ltd., as a separate/sister company, until this date.
They now stand alone in what was once quite a large textile group.

Hope that helps .. :D

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It was in 1967 that a recession hit them, and that is when they decided to move into Jacquard weaving, mainly damask table linen. At this time they scrapped 430 looms weaving plain cloth.. maybe just after you left.

It was a good move as linen hire was growing and their product was specialised.

I remember when they installed the new Sulzers ... now they were state of the art.

Unfortunately, with ever increasing competition from Imports, the company was eventually dissolved in August 2009, selling out their Hilden side to a Manchester textile company.

The other mills like Woodnook, Three Brooks, Stonebridge and Britannia had been sold individually over the years.

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They were weaving damasks when I was there, but I wasn't on those looms........I hadn't been there long enough....even though I had had 16 jacquard looms at David Whiteheads, and been involved in working on what was for Whitheads experimental stuff on the Sulzer loom(we only had one of them at Whiteheads)......maybe my age had something to do with it.......I was only just 20.

I know that while I was there they had a special commission to weave damask table linen for Buckingham Palace. The weavers chosen to do this work were two sisters, who had been at Enfield for donkeys years. I was glad not to be involved, the quality control was 100%.

I actually liked weaving, the work, the friendship, the fun, and had Whiteheads not transferred their operations to South Africa, I probably would never have gone on to be a nurse.

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Yes, of course, should have said decided to concentrate on their damask weaving ... both in tickings (for mattress covers) and table linen.

Jacquard weaving is highly skilled and, probably due to your age then, they trod carefully even though you had gained experience at Whiteheads.

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Quite a few weavers from Whiteheads were employed by Enfield Manufacturing......we took what we could get because the industry was, quite clearly, dying.
If I had stared out on Lancashire looms and then gone onto Automatics I think it would have been an easier transition........I wasn't keen on the twills and dobbies, they seemed very dull after weaving the colourful stuff that we had been making at Whiteheads.
Anyway, it all turned out for the best in the end.

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My tackler dad moved from Whiteheads to Enfield. I am not sure of the year that happened but recall that he only had a few years at Enfield before he retired in 1971 or 2.

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Margaret it must have been in 1967.......I can't remember just when in that year, but the place closed down in 1967.

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I recall there was a flood at Whiteheads and he got a lot of flood damaged denim, which came in handy to make bib trousers for my little lad (born '65) which protected his knees when crawling.

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I remember that only very vaguely........I know our shed wasn't involved.
We wove the tickings for slumberland mattresses......they wouldn't have been much good to make trousers out of. Would have given the boy a complex for the rest of his life.:)

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sorry for wander, but there used to be a whole "genre' of tackler jokes, think they were made up by 'feminist" weavers about how thick/stupid the tacklers were , anyone remember them ;) ;)