User:Emfletch91/sandbox
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| Industry | |
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| Founded | September 1913 |
| Founders | John Horrocks |
| Products |
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| Website | leighspinners.com |
Leigh Spinners Ltd is a manufacturing company in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The company is based at Leigh Spinners, a Grade II* listed double cotton spinning mill, occupying the entire ground and first floor.
History
Leigh Spinners was originally set up as a cotton spinning mill, just before the First World War, in 1913. Lancashire (where Leigh was historically part of) was well known for both its cotton spinning and part in the Industrial Revolution and the town of Leigh provided the damp climate required to ensure that the cotton fibres were less likely to snap during spinning. The mill was designed by Bradshaw, Gass & Hope for John Horrocks, a local businessman who was the chairman of Pennington Mill, also in Leigh. The mill itself was one of few double mills to be completed, comprising of six stories, a boiler house and chimney stack. Mill One was constructed in 1913 alongside the boiler house and chimney stack, and Mill Two was completed in 1925 - one of very few mills erected after the war. During the build, the local residents frequently visited a shop set up on Chapel Street, in order to contribute to the cost of the building works. As a result of the support of the local community, Leigh Spinners Ltd endeavoured to employ those from Leigh.
In 1967, they began to manufacture carpets and by the end of the decade, invested in a new plant to cope with the demand for tufted carpets. On 18th November 1972, Leigh Spinners Ltd. completely ended the production of cotton. A local trade union, B.O.C.S.P.A, represented cotton spinners across central Lancashire. However, due to the decline of production and with another local mill also ending cotton production on the same day as Leigh Spinners Ltd, the union was soon dissolved. With the expansion of carpet manufacturing, the machinery no longer in use was sent overseas or scrapped and replaced with machinery that could meet demand. In the same year, there was a power shortage due to the UK Miners' Strike. The steam engine - still on site - was used to generate electricity so that the company could continue to work. This attracted attention from the local newspaper as 'the mill that kept going'. In the years that followed, the backing plant was also expanded to meet growing demand.
In the late 1980s, the company invested in a non-woven plant, enabling them to produce fibre bonded carpets suitable for the commercial sector. Over the years, additional buildings and structures were added to the mill, including an extension added to Mill One in 1994, which eventually became the warehouse. Throughout the 1990's, the company developed their portfolio to include playing surfaces suitable for bowls, tennis and Multi-Use Gaming Areas. Such a large building allowed for large machinery and an entire floor was dedicated to spinning. Leigh Spinners Ltd. decided to end spinning in 2005 and, as in 1972, the machines were either stripped or sold. With the UK carpet market in sharp decline, the company needed to adapt and in 2009, after years of research, Leigh Spinners Ltd started producing synthetic grass alongside carpets. In 2012, they were making 150,000sq/m per annum and production has doubled since then, with the company becoming a FIH accredited manufacturer.
Over the years, the need for so much space lessened and, gradually, the upper floors of the mill were not required. In 2013 Leigh Building Preservation Trust was formed in order to begin restoration works, starting on Mill Two with the aim of also developing Mill One. Leigh Spinners Ltd remain on the premises, with the ground and first floors of Mills One and Two being occupied by the company.
Leigh Spinners Ltd has achieved International Hockey Federation and ISO 9001 accreditation, is a member of the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA) and from 2020, Made In Britain. They are currently working towards ISO 14001 in order to ensure that the company can effectively implement an Environmental Management System.
References
1. "Lancashire leads new British textile manufacturing revival". BBC News. 26 April 2012.
2. "From tufting to turf Leigh Spinners are still manufacturing 100 years on". Leigh Journal. 19 September 2013.
3. "Multi-million pound restoration of historic Leigh Spinners mill back on track". Leigh Journal. 12 November 2020.
4. "Member Profile". SAPCA.
5. "Member Profile". Made In Britain.