ore information about the Working Textile Museum
Wherever you see an sticker during your visit you will find more information listed by room below.
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0 MUSEUM OFFICE
- In the Museum Office you can see the rare 18th century gear-cutting machine and the doubling frame original to Masson Mill. More information on artefacts in this room.
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Model of Arkwright’s Waterframe The only known surviving complete waterframe, which came originally from Masson Mill, is now in Helmshore Museum in Lancashire. ore
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Masson Mills Long Service Records Many people spent over 60 years in employment here ore
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Knitting Frame The stocking frame is little changed since its invention in 1589 by by William Lee of Calverton, Nottinghamshire. ore
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18th century hand pirn-winder Is this the oldest hand pirn-winder in the world? ore
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1 FRONT OF MASSON MILL 1783
- When you cross the bridge into the original 1783 Masson Mill you are following in the footsteps of many generations of millworkers.
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Central tower of Masson Mill 1783 Do you believe in ghosts? ore
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2 STAIRCASE AND BELL
- When you enter Masson Mill, you are stepping back in time into the authentic atmosphere of a working cotton mill.
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Original Masson Mill Bell 1785 ….Tap me and I sing sweetly ore
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3 DOUBLING ROOM
- The Doubling Room embodies the very soul of Masson Mill.
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Arkwrights Horse Tethering Ring This story rings true! ore
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Original Masson Mill doubling frame Doubling frame works in a similar way to Arkwright’s waterframe ore
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Original “Privy” Anyone in there? ore
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Original Masson Mill ring-spinning frames The largest machines in the spinning room ore
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1922 doubling frames Arunco doubling frames still working nearly a century later ore
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1830’s spool-winders Spool-winder operatives were always required ore
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1960’s spool-winders The zenith of automated spool-winding ore
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1880’s darning card-winder Are you old enough to remember what this machine made? ore
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Circular knitting machine Supplied Florence Nightingale with bandages in the Crimean War ore
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Rope/braiding machine The noisiest machine in Masson Mill when working! ore
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4 WEAVING SHED AND DISPATCH
- The clattering looms of the Weaving Shed transport the visitor back over the centuries.
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Pirn-winder in Weaving Shed Auto-reload, just choose your colour ore
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Warping Mill Right to Left is the Weft – This one is the Warp ore
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Yorkshire loom in Weaving Shed Yorkshire v. Lancashire? ore
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Lancashire loom in Weaving Shed Lancashire v. Yorkshire? ore
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Jacquard loom in Weaving Shed Mechanical fore-runner of computerisation ore
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Saurer loom in Weaving Shed The Saurer loom weaves complex patterns ore
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Northrop loom in Weaving Shed The Northrop loom was a major advancement ore
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5 SPINNING AND CARDING
- “The smell of the cotton and the whole atmosphere here took me right back to my working days at Sun Mill in Oldham”…
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Mulespinning at Masson Mill The longest working condenser mules in the world ore
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The Devil "Beware this Devil of a machine”. ore
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Scutcher at Masson Mill Continuing the Devil’s work! ore
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Breaker card at Masson Mill From lap to sliver ore
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Derby Doubler at Masson Mill From sliver to card lap ore
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Finisher card at Masson Mill Ready for the Mule! ore
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Fine spinning mule at Masson Mill This mule featured in “The Boat that Guy Built” BBC, 2010 ore
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6 OVERSEER’S OFFICE
- Each floor of Masson Mill had an overseer’s, or supervisor’s office, located in the central projecting tower in charge of the work on that floor. Thomas Marshall, who was one such superintendent
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Masson Mills Overseer’s Office Thomas Marshall, a superintendent 1786-1790 at Masson Mill, emigrated to America in 1791, where he was a key figure in the founding of the nascent American textile industry. ore
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7 MECHANICS’ SHOP
- The mechanics’ shop contains lathes, steam engines, pillar drills, a steam hammer and a blacksmith’s forge.
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19th Century pillar drill Precision engineering, 19th century style ore
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19th Century steam hammer One of the most impressive machines of the Industrial Revolution ore
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8 BOBBIN ROOM
- “A real Aladdin’s Cave of Bobbins!”
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Bobbins hung up at Masson Mills This is the largest bobbin collection in the world! ore
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Archway in Bobbin Room This archway leads to the goyt of the 1771 paper mill ore
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9 TURBINE HOUSE
- The river powered Masson Mills in Arkwright’s time – and still does, supplying renewable energy.
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Original sluice gate on the Masson Mill goyt You can still see Arkwright’s stone counterweights under the water ore
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Masson Turbine House 2 and Goyt Water power – the “Raison d’Etre” of Masson Mill ore
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10 VIEW OF THE WEIR AND PICNIC AREA
- “You can see why Arkwright built his mill here – Just look at the power of the river!”
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Masson Mills Weir The weir is an unusual convex shape ore
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Masson Mill Poem - Anon 1991 "I've stood upon this riverbank 200 years or more....." ore
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11 PAPER MILL WATERWHEEL PIT
- Arkwright acquired this site where the Paper Mill already stood two years before he built Masson Mill.
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Waterwheel Shaft An impressive example ore
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12 STEAM FIRE PUMP
- The original fire control equipment.
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Masson Steam Fire Pump The steam fire pump had always to be maintained so that it was ever-ready ore
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13 BOILER HOUSE
- The Boiler House was always said to be the coldest place in Masson Mills – Do you know why?
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Masson Mills Boilers The boiler fluers had the worst job, crawling into the “hell hole”. ore
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Bellis and Morcom Engine In its heyday the complete power generation package ore
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Large Steam Hammer “Gi’er a crick o’ th’ neck and a twitch o’ th’eye”. ore
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14 VIEW OF THE CHIMNEY
- Sentinel of the Industrial Revolution
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View of Masson Mill with Chimney Sentinel of the Industrial Revolution ore
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15 ENGINE HOUSE
- “A masterpiece of Victorian engineering.”
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W & J Yates Steam Engine “An awe-inspiring Behemoth of power” ore