All photos: Mark Harvey
UNITE Rural life
Today’s guests get a warmer
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Holcombe Road, Helmshore, Lancashire, BB4 4NP
Today Helmshore Mills Textile Museum (The Museum) is a far cry from the place of drudgery and horrors, experienced by thousands of workers, wrenched from their homes during the industrial revolution. It came about after new technology wiped out traditional handloom family weaving practices and left local people with no option except to enter these ‘dark satanic mills’.
Fortunately, visitors today can enjoy a good day out while having an opportunity to learn more about how their descendants struggled to earn a decent living, even as recently as just 50 years back.
Lying 16 miles north of Manchester, Helmshore is a small rural village in the Lancashire Rossendale Valley. In 1789, the Turner family built two mills, parts of which are still working. By 1820 the power looms they and other manufacturers had introduced
meant a full piece of cloth that
had
once earned a family 25p in the late 1700s was being manufactured at a fifth of that price.
Poverty levels multiplied. In April 1826 arose open revolt. Over 1,100 power looms across Pennine Lancashire were wrecked. Known today as the Weavers Uprising or, more tragically, the Chatterton Massacre it resulted in the authorities coming down brutally on protestors, killing as many as 10 people. More were imprisoned.
It is a tragedy set to be remembered on its bicentennial next year with diverse events being co-ordinated by seven prominent organisations including the museum – Unite members might consider participating in.
In a corner of the cotton mill, Preston’s Sir Richard Arkwright can be viewed as he watches over the only remaining complete water-powered cotton spinning machine of his that he invented with clockmaker John Kay around 1750. This ended the need for skilled operators, resulting in women and, even for many decades, children becoming the main employees.
Visitors can learn more from the experienced tour guides. You can watch some of the noisy, non-stop machines being brought to life. Deafness was just one of many occupational hazards for workers.
34 uniteLANDWORKER Spring 2026 Lung
diseases from taking in fibres was another. Trade
unions, at least, initially were non-existent.
Joining a large group of youngsters aged 8 to 17 years from Woking United Reformed Church (WURC), on holiday locally for a week, it was interesting to witness how guides engaged them by employing textile terms. This included asking them where the phrases heirloom or tenterhooks or even taking the p**s might have originated from. Do you know? Try our quiz opposite…
According to the WURC’s Phil Ray the museum was, with the group on a tight budget, highly affordable. The visit had been chosen in part on the basis of its connection to local sheep farming, which resulted from the 12th to 14th century in wool exports being the largest source of England’s income.
“The children and young people have been fascinated by the old equipment and the building, plus the phrases!”
One of the guides was Unite member Ann Butcher. After years working with homeless people, Ann joined the museum, which is run by Lancashire County Council, three years ago and “loves it. You share information but you
Unite guide – Ann Butcher
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
