Murrays' Mills

"Murray Mills" redirects here. For the bishop, see Murray Mills (bishop).
This article is about mill complex in Manchester, England. For complex in Atlanta also known as "Murray's Mill", see E. Van Winkle Gin and Machine Works.

Murrays' Mills
New Mill in 2008, part of the Murrays' Mills complex.
Murrays' Mills is located in Greater Manchester
Murrays' Mills
Location within Greater Manchester
General information
Town or cityManchester
CountryEngland
Coordinates53°29′02″N 2°13′36″W / 53.4839°N 2.2267°W / 53.4839; -2.2267
Construction started1797
ClientA & G Murray
Technical details
Size13,000 m2 (140,000ft²)[1]

53°29′02″N 2°13′36″W / 53.4839°N 2.2267°W / 53.4839; -2.2267

Murrays' Mills is a complex of former cotton mills on land between Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal in the district of Ancoats, Manchester, England. The mills were built for brothers Adam and George Murray.[2][3]

The first mill on the site, Old Mill, was begun in 1797,[1] and is the world's oldest surviving urban steam-powered cotton spinning factory.[1] After Old Mill opened, the company continued to expand and prosper, and by 1806 the complex was the largest in the world, employing about 1,000 people at its peak: Decker Mill was opened in 1802, New Mill in 1804, Little Mill in 1822, and Doubling and Fireproof Mill in 1842. The main complex formed a quadrangle surrounding a private canal basin linked under the road to the Rochdale Canal, which opened in 1804. The canal basin was used to deliver raw cotton and coal and to transport spun cotton away from the complex.[4]

In 1898, A & G Murray became part of the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association Limited (FCSDA). The mill complex began to decline in the early 20th century as the canal basin was filled in and Little Mill burnt down. The mill was replaced with the earliest mill in Greater Manchester that was built to use mains electricity.[5] The mill complex continued producing cotton until the 1950s. The mills were later leased out to other companies and in some cases allowed to fall into disrepair. Between 2000 and 2003, Urban Splash redeveloped Fireproof and Doubling Mill into offices, winning a RIBA Award. The rest of the complex underwent a £17 million regeneration between 2004 and 2006 and are proposed to be used as flats and a hotel.[6][needs update]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference earchitect was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Historic England. "Former warehouse and offices of Old Mill, Decker Mill, and New Mill, Murray Street (1220282)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  3. ^ "Legacies – Architectural Heritage – From Factories into Flats". BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  4. ^ Williams, Mike (1993). "The Mills of Ancoats" (PDF). Manchester Region History Review. Vol. 7. Manchester: Manchester Centre for Regional History. pp. 27–32. ISSN 0952-4320. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference little was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference preservation trust was invoked but never defined (see the help page).