Cotton & Corn. Two very different mills 

Music: 'Recollections' Aurora B Polaris. bit.ly/aurorabpolaris The Ice cream shop:facebook.com/The-Ice-Cream-Shop-at-Lodge-102509194509952 Johns website: www.derelictmanchester.com/

Hello Martin and James. i was born at number 12 Townley Street in 1944, (demolished) right opposite the Lodge Mill, so as you can imagine this video really hit home with me. My Mum moved to a rented house in Marsh Row, where the Arndale is now, in 1942 while Dad was away in the army and my two brothers were born there. Then in 1949 we moved to Durnford Street.One brother still lives there. At the end of Marsh Row was Jackie Booth's Field and the Irk ran between the street and the field. It was filthy, smelly, polluted, and it flooded the bottom of Marsh Row, bringing rats in. I crossed over on a little bridge to go to Parkfield School from the age of 3. I left Middleton in 1963 but my childhood memories are very clear. I agree with another commentator who found the demolition of QEGS on Rectory Street a terrible crime - it was a beautiful building and my sister Barbara went there. I left England in 1975 for France and then the USA. Now back in France and I am totally addicted to your videos!! They teach me so much about Manchester!

Amazing how many old buildings are suddenly catching fire recently, despite the fact that they've been there for years with no problem. Clears the way for developers.

Martin... Find out when the rest of Lodge Mill is being demolished, and ask them if you can have the one surviving lift door from the top floor of the stair shaft you went into. It looked like it was in great condition and there are many things you could do with it creatively. Plus, its a souvenir of Manchester's past.

As a born and bred middletonian, it's criminal how Rochdale council has allowed so many historic buildings in middleton to be lost to the ravages of time and landlords waiting for buildings to be unrepairable and knocked down for redevelopment, Providence United Reformed Church in Market Place was a stuuning building just left to rot. Was also an upsetting day when Durnford Street schools got torn down. Warwick mill left in limbo, we should be bringing these buildings back into use before building brand new boxes with no character to live in :( Great video as always Martin, discovered you late last year and have watched everything.

It's nice these Mills are being recorded before demolition, it's amazing it's still partly standing after a bad fire just goes to show how strong they are built

heyas Mz&James, my apprenticeship was served in an old red brick woolen mill in Yorkshire. The carding machines were in a 5 (I think) floored structure. The red brick walls were thick but with the weight and fast speed of the carding machines it was always a danger the walls would belly out or collapse. A safety precaution was a large piece of glass embedded onto a wall and if ever the glass cracked or broke it would have meant removing machinery to save a collapse. In my memory that didn't happen and once the mill closed it was repurposed as a high end shopping outlets called Red Brick Mills outlet. BTW James other brands are available other than CK's 😏 Cheers lads DougT

The beauty of this video is that it has now been recorded for what is left, for future generations to see. Like so many of your videos. Thanks for posting this 👍

As well as the amount of wood used they also have decades of oil and grease dripping on the floorboards from the looms and machinery that worked on them, so when these old mills go up they're ferocious. Great video as ever Martin.

It's always sad when a mill burns down. I live I Keighley now and a few months ago Dalton Mill was set on fire. all that is left is the outer shell. Historic England say it is structurally sound at the moment so we are all hoping it can be saved. Although we don't have the best track record in the Bradford area you just have to see what has happened to Low Mill the oldest Cotton Mill in Yorkshire and Grade 2 listed.

I love to know the condition of the mill before the fire. Most of us know if there's a listing to the building, an accidental fire can solve the problem for the building owners ect. Hey presto, the grade whatever building can now be demolished for safety concerns. Now in not saying that this has what happened here but it does go on. Its nice that I can comment again after a 2 Yr suspension. Was (563 yard art) All for writing about my childhood. Great footage again Martin and of course your tea boy James.

That had me gripped as usual. Thankyou lads. Please keep going. 💖

Even damaged so badly it's still incredibly beautiful. I wish it could remain preserved in this state forever.

Great video again Martin & James & John & my sister & her husband just live down the road from there in Boarshaw & James face cracks me up with his sense of humour 👍👌😁

As a fire safety officer for greater manchester fire service I dealt with the mill thst you show as burnt down. At the time I knew them as lodge mill and lodge mill annex. The annex being the one that burnt down.the Bridge you see over whitwood was reinstated as as a means of escape at my instruction. Happy days

Hopwood woods was one of the playgrounds of my youth having lived on Boarshaw. I have fished in the mill pond on numerous occasions. Incidentally the Brook that runs past the old mill is Trub Brook which begins its course up Trows lane in Castleton runs under the Rochdale canal and through North Mcr golf course before running through Hopwood and under Rochdale rd where it joins the Whit Brook near Tennison rd.

I Grew up on Langley before moving to Salford in 1975, I remember the lodge and Albany mills very well, Thank you for bringing back the memories

In the old corn mill at the start of your video, you can still see the original drive shaft remains of the mill wheel which is the rotting piece of timber through the circular hole in the pit wall. All early (and indeed later) mill wheels had wooden main shafts. Great video Martin.

Another excellent video Martin! :) It's such a shame that half of that mill burned down. I'm glad you were able to document what was left. It was pretty cool seeing the remains of that lift in the tower. I also loved seeing the wear on the stone stair treads in there. Who knows how many people went up and down those stairs over the years!

This one actually frightened me a bit. I'm aways the one sitting back saying "come on James! come on Martin!, go ahead and crawl through the dank dark insect infested tunnel" because I want to see what's in there but this time those stairs actually worried me. Another great adventure! Thanks Gents.

Thanks guys for showing us around before another piece of history is lost to developers. Amazing there's so much timber left especially after all that industrial use with grease and machine oil. Best to get James to eat after you've climbed the rickety stairs!!!!!

Yay new derelict mill exploring! Very cool stuff. (Edit: and hair raising!!) Love that the River Irk gets an appearance in the first few moments! #IrkNerd To the end... Going from destruction to recreation! What a great space they've made in the engine room! 👏🏻👏🏻

Use to work at lodge mill the last bit where you looked at. Brought back some good memory’s good video Martin.

Yet another fantastic video Martin. My wife and I love your videos showing the history of the area. We here in the USA lose so much of our history as well. Kudos to you James, and your various group of friends for producing this and so many other excellent videos. Just please be careful and stay safe!

Yep, I could not have left without climbing the tower either, lovely that you've now documented at least what remained for future generations :)

At 18:39 that is either a belt drive motor, to run the overhead belt that ran the machines along the floor of that part of the mill or a regulator to adjust the tension and reduce slack in the belts. I once worked for Bradford Cotton Mills in their old head office that had the offices on the top, sixth, floor of the main mill. When I worked there though that particular mill at Camperdown had been closed down and the majority of the machinery removed and relocated to other mills, leaving all the floors mainly empty but still full of cotton dust. All the mill work started at the 5th floor with the bales brought up by hoist, being opened and cleaning started. Then different processes were done on each floor down with completed material in rolls being loaded into trucks at the ground floor dock level. That mill was a spinning mill and also had a dye plant attached and was based on the design of cotton mills in the Manchester area originally but built in 1932.

Its amazing how the shots from a height make me feel fearful of falling even though I am safely say at my dining table

Brilliant use of the old mill! Looks a cool spot in which to while away an hour or two! Great video as always. Thank you.

Thank you Martin and friends for a video I didn't want to end! I cannot explain why, It is what it is..and it was just what I needed today .....You will probably never know what a difference you have made in our lives ..so I'm telling you now.." Thank You for all you do " xxx

Another good one Martin I loved the way you excitedly said about Guy Fawkes visiting the place and I thought yeah he visited the Houses Of Parliament as well, such a shame about Lodge Mill how did the fire start was it a three in the morning job! it would of made some beautiful apartments. Thanks again though you really do go above and beyond and it is appreciated. 😉

Excellent video Martin. It was fascinating to see the old elevator still in place and the workings in the shaft. Also, as you climbed the tower, to see the ‘worn’ part of the stone steps made by thousands of peoples feet as they used those stairs.

Phwor.... Check out the builders cleavage at 20:22, girls. Just to remind everyone that the word corn covered most seeds and grains that were traded at various markets, hence why a lot of towns have a Corn Exchange. They weren't built for a bunch of blokes to say "I'll swap my cob of sweetcorn for your cob of sweetcorn. Corn was salt, barley, wheat, oats, rye etc..

Strange isn't it the number of mill fires that have occurred in the old mills round Greater Manchester in the past two or three years. Lodge Mill, Proofings Mill at Littleborough, Oxford Mill in Ashton-under-Lyne, and I'm sure there's been one or two others? And they've not just been partially damaged but completely destroyed.

It's a shame we have lost so many Mills great to see one being reused

Thanks you Martin for nice video see you next time

Brilliant classic Zero , great to be back in t’Mill

What a great video. Especially that ice cream shop. Stuff was kept from the history instead of being chucked. Thank you for your hard work. It's appreciated. Keep well.

I've no idea how I missed this one but..... Got there in the end. ( Jan 2024) Good stuff chaps as always. The chemistry between you two is an added bonus.

great content as usual, thanks lads

I have no idea how I found your channel but I am so glad it popped up on RU-vid

Two interesting locations Martin. Nice to be able to go into the one that had the fire and go up that tower, with care. Many thanks for doing this video

Top one. Worked in that lodge on a YTS scheme 42 yrs ago.Actually had us painting it.Got £17.50 a week. James Coates Bros had it then. Memories

The motor you filmed at min 18:27 has a long drum, so i think this was for powering the machinery of the Mill. You mentioned in an other Video that the Belts where mostly driven from Above, so that is i believe the main drive motor for the belt mechanism. By the way, great Video as always greetings from Germany.

You guys could be exploring the local B&Q and I'd still watch it, so funny.

What have I done?But thank good your train has arrived in time. I don't wand to miss your wanderful Videos. This on turned out great again. Please heart the James. You area great Team. Thanks for letting me be there again.

Another great video Martin! The pulley attached to the 'box' looked like a reduction gear box. The belts powering various machines would be running at a set RPM and the gearbox would reduce or raise the RPM to what ever machine or transfer system would need to run properly. The sawmill I worked in still had all those old pulleys attached to the ceiling from the steam days. We still had steam powered log transfers at the front end by the 'jack ladder' because they could move a 40 foot hemlock log thats 9 feet in diameter where the compressed air powered lift and transfer pots would just make hissing sounds with not a shred of log movement... Those old steam pots were great for drying your wet work gloves on in the winter!

Wonderful as always. We spent many a summer holidays in Slattocks, just around the corner from Hopwood. We wandered far and wide, usually in the Tandle Hill direction, but never went to the woods at Hopwood for some reason. It was interesting to note, though not unsurprising, that the stone steps were more worn at the bottom of the tower.

So lucky that mill still survives and wasn't destroyed in the past for other developments, beautiful.

Intrepid as always, what lovely tour of two Mills, lots of good timber that could be reclaimed/recycled. Thanks for another history adventure.

Very interesting Martin, I love old Mills and mourn the passing of many of them in Lancs.

Again a mind-blowing episode! Martin, you are the ambassador of the North of England! Greetings from the Netherlands! 🇳🇱

Another first rate vlog with history. Keep up the great work Martin - from Greg in Melbourne Australia where the rain has stopped for a day

Thank you Martin. These old buildings remind me of my first job when I left High school. 10 years as a press operator at Beardmore tannery at Acton Ontario Canada. 13 acres under roof the second largest tannery in the British empire

The irony of finding a no-smoking sign at the top of a burnt-out building 😁 Sad to see it in that condition. The mill in the forest... It might have had a sluice between the pond and the spout... open the sluice when it was in use and close it at other times. Because it was supplied by a fairly small brook it might have constantly collected it for later use. I like what they have done with the other mill. Great to see these places getting a 2nd life. Great video as always.

Hi Martin, another awesome out and about video adventure. It's amazing to think of all of the history the mill has witnessed and of how many people have worked there since it was built, awesome. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx ❤

This was quite interesting! I love seeing the remnants of those old mills and trying to work out how they all fit together. The stealthy exploration of Lodge Mill was was especially exciting! It was sobering to see that melted alarm box.

Super interesting upload as always.

I love your videos of Manchester. Read that book I gave you as it references a lot of mills on the Irk. The tea room in the Engine House is beautiful.

I loved that Martin and James! I would do that in a flash, less keen on your water journeys and underground tunnels. LOL Lovely to see James and his brew. I like those gritty old mills and your area of the country has lovely old brick buildings. As for that burnt mill - they best pull it down quickly before bats take over living there - then it will be a nightmare to remove and regenerate. Well done.

Martin you're looking great with the short hair and clean shaven. Love to you and James for your awesome videos which I started watching with my hubby xx

I think a friend of ours, when she left school, worked at the Lodge, she was a weaver. The Albany mill was on the site of the Asshetons Middleton Hall, on Old Hall Street

Thanks Martin for a fantastic investigation of your old home town mills and rivers. Take care and all the best. Stevie

Great video! That first mill you went to that was overgrown was brilliant IMO! I personally love coming across stuff in that condition where you have to try and piece it together, and imagine what used to go on inside the walls, and the sounds of water spilling off the leet! Great stuff, really enjoyed that!

I worked on a fully working mill in Middelton this year on a project on the new section it was called Vitafoam mill, Newport st , not sure of the orignal name of the mill but its great to see a mill been used to its maximun use these days... Jim.

Another excellent video. Thanks for consistently releasing such good quality videos!

James is a classic in these vids now lol

brilliant gents. more more more...

Great detective work!

Excellent video. There are some lovely relics in the tower such as the worn down stone stairs and the wooden hand rails and to think they were probably used by your Grandma must have been a nice thought. My Grandad worked at the Vulcan foundry and it's a pity I couldn't see in there before it was torn down. Also it would be great if somehow that gate at the top of the lift could be salvaged.

Wonderful places, really nice someone is taking care of old buildings and a shame not much is left of the first mill. They have a nice aura most of the time and are very pleasant to visit because of rivers nearby. Kind of a shame they keep pulling them down, but nice that the front part is still alive. If not for the fire that building was sturdy, even some of the wood still looked in tact and the brickwork. Brave to go up such a tower, looked like the tower of Pisa.

“This Episode brought to you by Lipton’s Tea!” “For the best brewed Tea drink Lipton’s Tea!”☕️🇬🇧

Another great video Martin zero , have become a bit of a Sunday tradition now pal love watching your vids keep up the good work !!!

Love all mill memories, there was one in Crewe called Doddys Mill that burnt down when I was a kid I remember going past in the car seeing fire at every window. Knocked it down straight away of course.

I think I was more nervous than you two about that tower! It had the "I'm about to collapse" feeling about it!

Brill. Really enjoyed it..

What a fantastic video. Just love the old buildings. It looks rather sad but beautiful as well. Enjoyed every second of that. You were so good not taking the ice cream I couldn’t have resisted. Thanks so much for taking me along, please stay safe and take care

Crazy when you were climbing the ruined tower, the wear on the stairs. Just imagine all the people who walked those stairs. I also love how you show on google maps/others maps exactly where you are going to be exploring. It really adds a whole other, very important layer of detail to your videos. Makes it much easier to visualize exactly where you are in relation to everything you are looking at when you are filming on site, in a way that the viewer wouldn't get at all if you didn't show so many maps.

Greaat video used to go hopwood hall woods on bikes. School xcountry run went through there too.

Great video again.

Great stuff as always! :) you should try cover the middleton branch railway one day if you can! :) Also the old Oldham incline would be cool too

Absolutely Great video. Love you talking about aunt Kitty. We lost our aunt Kitty a few years ago, she worked at the Bird’s Eye factory. You bring history alive and enjoying a brew at the same time. God bless. Looking forward to the next one. Love and respect . Alex.

Another great explore Martin & James, love it. Thank you again for your efforts.

Another peek into the past! That motor is not a motor. It looks to be a gearbox eather feeding or being fed by a belt system! Hard to say more than that with just a glance! Now the bit that hit me (and I bet passed most by) was the Electricity Substation! It wasn't. It was the Middleton Electric Main Office. Been a good 15 years since I was in there. Unless they have sold it and changed the locks I still have keys for the place ;o)

Great! Thank you.

Thanks again for an interesting and informative video of my home city. As I am now on the wrong side of 70, I do not get out like I used to do. Luckily I can be out with you every weekend on my computer.I also have family in Australia who like to keep up with your stories.

lots of mills mysteriously gone up in flames the last few years, especially in West Yorkshire/Bradford /Keighley, literally hundreds 😠

The motor at 18:30 appears to have a pulley on it that could have been used to drive some machinery that was left over from the days of steam engines, you know, leather transmission belts and shafts running the length of the factory floor. I've seen similar things on farmyards, although they were way smaller and had a certain improvised look about them.

Very interesting!

That was scary climb up that elevator tower! One of the reasons brick buildings with wooden floors stay standing is that unlike steel beams that warp and twist pulling the walls inward, wooden beams simply burn through. A fire man in New York told me back in the 70s firemen didn't like going into burning buildings with steel framing because of the danger of the walls collapsing. Steel beams soften at 600 degrees F and will start to deform and bend becoming unstable. I have to hand it to you, going into such a damaged building would never occur to me!

Fabulous explore. You are very brave going up that tower. Hair raising stuff. Great place . Roof walk bit scary as well. Thank you for taking us as most of us would never have seen any of it. Brilliant filming.

Martin . IF you or James sneezed in that tower they would not need to use a wrecking ball to bring It down. HA HA HA.

Another great video Martin and James love watching them. Your videos are living history for future generations to watch 👍

Great video.

Great video loving the old mills it would be good if they kept the old chimney at lodge mill for historical reasons. It's really good what they manage to do with the part that's left save some of the history once these mills have gone they are gone forever which would be a real shame quite sad really. 👍

Most intrepid! Tell you what, you wouldn't get me going up that tower, not even for a Chorley cake and a cup of tea.. Fantastic video as ever! Nice one Martin. 👍

At 18 mins, the motor on the wall was electric conversion. They ran the old belts, which were run by steam originally. Seen them on Fred Dibner videos

Another nice video Martin and the cake loving James, mind you I like a nice cake. Chris.

Smashed it mate!

@ 18:30. I would suggest that what you are looking at is a line-shaft drive motor. That would have driven flat belts which would have driven long shafts mounted just below ceilings which, in turn, drove floor-mounted machines via other flat belts. The drive motor may have been powered from the mains, or (possibly) via an in-house steam driven generator.

Another gem Martin. As for going up those stairs, as they say in a Mexican accent, " You crazy peeps".