| Summary : Hope Mill (previously known as Hollins, Hollins Bottom or Balaclava Mill) dates from 1855 and was built as a cotton spinning works by two brothers, Luke Harther and William Suthers, wholesale grocers turned textile entrepreneurs. A steam-powered mill in the form of a large shed with a power plant at one end. Built alongside Rochdale Canal to take advantage of water transport. The mill was later expanded through the addition of an extension to the shed and a two-storey warehouse. The mill was taken over by the firm of Sutcliffe and Greenwood and converted to a weaving factory by the late 19th century and textile production ceased on the site circa 1960. It is now used as a dog chew works. |