Weavers' Triangle
The Weavers' Triangle is an area of Burnley in Lancashire, England consisting mostly of 19th-century industrial buildings at the western side of town centre clustered around the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.The area has significant historic interest as the cotton mills and associated buildings encapsulate the social and economic development of the town and its weaving industry.The canal's opening coincided with the rise of cotton weaving and the use of steam power in textile mills, allowing greater freedom in their placement.Of the many new cotton mills subsequently constructed along the canal, this meant that the greatest concentration formed in what was then part of the township of Habergham Eaves.The almost terminal decline of the English cotton industry in the decades that followed World War II, brought great difficulties to the local economy.During successive attempts to regenerate the town, many of the mills were demolished, however most in the triangle area were protected and today stand as monuments to the past.The line shafts from the engine would pass into a large single-storey weaving shed with its characteristic sawtooth roof with north lights.Weaving was the principal activity here, the larger spinning mills of the Oldham Limited of the late 19th century ware built in towns further south.It was built c. 1840 by George Slater; there were four- and five-storey spinning mills by the canal and a six-storey 5-by-9-bay with a clock tower, the weaving shed was to the east.The Waterloo Iron works was owned by Onias Pickles, who acquired the business of Thomas Sagar manufacturing plain Burnley looms.In 1996, a project began to restore the steam engine at Oak Mount Mill with funding from the National Lottery, Burnley council and the Museums and Galleries Commission.The canal passes southwest of the Calder, before turning north by northeast and crossing the two river valleys on the straight 1,350 yards (1,234 m) long 60 feet (18 m) high Burnley Embankment.[16] In 1998 Liverpool-based Millview Developments purchased Sandygate Mill as part of a plan to turn Slater Terrace weavers' cottages into a luxury canalside hotel.[24] In May, Rossendale-based Hurstwood Developments purchased the Millview properties and began work on a new plan for the area and acquired Victoria Mill.[25] In April 2005, Amberfell Estates received outline planning permission to demolish part of Thorneybank Mill in Nelson Square, with a view to building 24 homes.[27] On a related visit to the town, English Heritage Chief Executive Dr Simon Thurley announced the appointment of two new specialist advisors to the project.[28] Towards the end of the year Hurstwood submitted £50 million plans for properties on the site, including an 800 capacity music venue, restaurants, offices and homes.[39] In January 2009, former chairman of English Heritage, Sir Neil Cossons was appointed to chair the steering group responsible for reinvigorating the site.[40] At the start of April a £4.9m NWDA grant enabled Burnley Council to purchase Hurstwood's sites and the neighbouring premises of Dexter paints.
BurnleyLancashireCoordinatesLeeds and Liverpool Canalcotton millsCotton MillIndustrial RevolutionMarsdencottonspinning jennyBlackburnChorleyManchesterAmerican War of IndependenceClitheroeagricultural limeBurnley Coalfieldsteam power in textile millsEast Lancashire Railwaythe barracksManchester and Leeds RailwayTodmordengoods shedHabergham Eavespower loomsWorld War IIcatsheadpirningmill engineHarle SykeScience MuseumButterworth & DickinsonProtestant Wesleyan Methodist SocietyBaptistsGeorgianMasonic HallMule spinningThrostle spinningBrian RedheadMuseums, Libraries and Archives Councilthe National LotteryMuseums and Galleries Commissionscheduled monumentsRiver CalderRiver BrunLiverpoolMississippi Basinsteam enginesBurnley EmbankmentBurnley WayCaldervaleManchester Road stationEast Lancashire LineBarracks stationEnglish Heritagerepointingsand blastingBritish WaterwaysMillennium FundSt. Modwen PropertiesSimon ThurleyTony WilsonPrince Charlesworld financial crisisNeil CossonsUniversity of Manchester Archaeological UnitDavid BellhouseBradshaw Gass & HopeF.W. Dixon & SonEdward PottsStott and SonsSidney Stott (later Sir Philip)Daniel AdamsonBoulton & WattBrowett, Lindley & CoBuckley & TaylorCarels FrèresClayton, Goodfellow & CoFairbairnW & J Galloway & SonsB. Hick and Sons / Hick, Hargreaves & CoJohn Musgrave & SonsJ & W McNaughtPetrie of RochdaleWilliam Roberts & Co of NelsonGeorge SaxonScott & HodgsonUrmson & ThompsonYates & Thom / Yates of BlackburnWillans & RobinsonJ & E WoodWoolstenhulmes & RyeBrooks & DoxeyCurtis, Parr & WaltonDobson & BarlowJohn Hetherington & SonsJoseph HibbertJohn Pilling and SonsHoward & BulloughGeo. HattersleyAsa LeesMather & PlattParr, Curtis & MadelyBritish Northrop Loom CoPlatt BrothersTaylor, Lang & CoTextile Machinery MakersTweedales & SmalleyT. Wildman & SonsElkanah ArmitageHenry AshworthHugh BirleyHugh Hornby BirleyJoseph BrothertonJames BurtonPeter DrinkwaterNathaniel EckersleyJohn FieldenWilliam GrayHannah GregSamuel GregRichard HowarthWilliam HouldsworthJohn KennedyGeorge Augustus LeeCharles Macintosh