ABC Wednesday: Donkey Stone

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is D for "Donkey Stone" and shows what is left of a once-thriving local industry.

This small stone building on Lower Wharf Street in Ashton was once part of a larger group of buildings where the manufacture of donkey stones took place. Donkey stones were used in mills to prevent stone steps from becoming slippery with grease. They were later used by proud housewives to make their doorsteps look smart.

This factory was set up by Eli Whalley on what had been Ashton Old Wharf at the side of the Ashton Canal. The site is now sometimes known as Donkey Stone Wharf. The name "Donkey" was originally the brand name of one of the companies that made such stones, but became the generic name for the product, much as vacuum cleaners are often referred to as hoovers.

The donkey stones were made from crushed stone, cement, bleach and water. The colour depended on the type of crushed stone used.

Two other companies had also manufactured donkey stones further along Lower Wharf Street. Eli Whalley's was the last to close.

A close-up of the blue plaque can be seen here.

See Google Street View of this location.

(Click photo for larger version. Press Back button to return here.)

"Donkey Stone" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "D" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Water Street Hat Works

Today's photo is of Water Street Hat Works.

Pardon? Many people who are familiar with Ashton will look and the photo and say "But that's Hurst Laundry in Holden Street!" And they would be right, for this is indeed the building that for many years has been home to Hurst Linen Services, now Tibard Laundry Services.

However, a closer look at the building will reveal a clue to its past. High on the wall, above the taking-in doors, is this stone plaque bearing the words "Water Street Hat Works".

This may seem rather mysterious but the section of what is now called Holden Street between Union Road and Hillgate Street was at one time called Water Street, while the part between Hillgate Street and Whiteacre Road was called Church Street. They were re-named to avoid confusion with the streets of the same name in central Ashton.

The hat making part is still a bit of a mystery as hat making was generally carried out in Denton and Stockport. I can't find any mention in any of the local history book that I have of a hatting industry in Ashton, but clearly hats were made here! Also, you may recall in a post here a couple of weeks ago that the son of the landlord of the Napoleon Inn, around the corner in Botany Lane, worked as a hatter before taking over the job of landlord.

The funny thing is that I have walked past here hundreds of times and had never noticed this plaque before!

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Going, going...

Another look at the demolition work taking place at Hillgate Street Works, as seen here a couple of weeks ago. Click the photo to see a larger version.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Circles

December's Theme Day is on the topic of Circles.

Ashton being a mill town, where better to look for circles than in the yard of one of the old cotton mills? The circles here form part of the decorative iron work at Oxford Mills in Ashton's West End. The brackets on the left appear to have once supported a canopy over the loading doors.

The first part of the mill complex was built in 1845 by Thomas Mason. The building on the left of the photo was added in 1851, with a bridge section linking the two.

Thomas retired in 1860 and the business was taken on by his youngest son, Hugh, who showed great benevolence to his workforce, keeping them employed throughout the "Cotton Famine" of the 1860s and building good houses and other facilities for his employees.

Most of the buildings are still standing and in use, but no longer spinning cotton.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the December theme day

Portland Mill

Portland Mill in Brook Street East is one of Ashton's surviving cotton mills. The building that stands today was a spinning block built in 1850 as an extension to an earlier mill that was built in 1824.

In 1884 there were 50,000 spindles in operation at Portland Mills. The mills later passed into the ownership of Whittakers of Hurst until production ceased in 1903. The original mill has now gone but the second (the one in the picture) still stands as a magnificent building, although no longer used for textile production.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Mills and Hills

This is an almost timeless picture of northern mills with a background of northern hills and a foreground of cobbles! However, the observant viewer will notice a few clues that this is a recent photo, such as the pole-mounted CCTV camera and the palisade fencing.

This photograph shows a different view of Whiteland Mill, seen here last week. It is seen looking down the steps from the railway bridge at the end of Granville Street, Cockbrook.

Behind Whitelands Mill is Stamford Mill, just across the border in Stalybridge.

A Google aerial view of this location can be seen here.

Welcome to Ashton

The sign tells you that you are entering Ashton under Lyne. However, this is not the view that most visitors see on their approach. This is the back way in to Ashton along Whitelands Road.

On the left is Whitelands Mill, built in 1883. In the distance is the older Wellington Mill, built in 1857. The photo was taken close to the former Pointsman Inn, named after one of the jobs on the nearby railway.

Alphabet Friday - Biscuit Factory

It's Alphabet Friday once again and time for the second letter! "B" is for "Biscuit Factory" and Tudno Mill (or Ryecroft Mill no. 3) has for many years been the home of Hills Biscuits. The visitor approaching Ashton is often greeted by the mouth-watering smell of baking biscuits!

R A Barrett

This small factory in Blandford Street was built in 1894 for R A Barrett.

I believe that this was the R A Barrett who made ginger beer and other mineral waters. I can find a reference to them having an earlier factory in 1873 just around the corner in Berkeley Street, so perhaps they moved here to larger premises?

In 1910, Barrett's were on e of the first companies in the town to use a motor vehicle for deliveries. R A Barrett eventually ceased production in 1977.

As you can see in the photo below, the Victorians couldn't resist getting a certain amount of ornamentation into even a fairly plain building!

Making Brass

The former Borough Brass Works on Blandford Street.
These days, the occupants (one of whom was watching me from a window) make their brass from supplying "Superior Ornamental Steelwork, Fabrication and Welding Services".