SD9303 : Maple Mills, Groby Street, Hathershaw
taken 18 years ago, near to Bardsley, Oldham, England
This is a double mill, but consisting of two independent blocks rather than a large symmetrical building. Both mills are to the design of P.S.Stott, No.1 mill was built in 1904 and No.2 in 1915 to a very similar design. Both were spinning mule mills. Interestingly, the engines driving each mill were very different, that for No.1 being a vertical triple expansion unit of 1000hp by Saxon, that for No.2 being an 1800hp horizontal by Urmson and Thompson.
On April 21, 2009, No.2 Mill suffered a disastrous fire which resulted in the destruction of the bulk of the structure. In June 2010 only the western facade with its tower and the engine house survived; the rest was just a huge pile of rubble.