Lancashire ~ Jumbles

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* Bradshaw Hall and Bleachworks

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Replacing an earlier building, Bradshaw Hall was built in the 1600s, a grand house in a rural setting. By the latter part of that century, its owner, John Bradshaw, was struggling financially. His estate was not generating the amount of income he required. With a large family to take care of (eight daughters, who would all need dowries for marriage, and three sons) he was in need of money. At first, he took out a loan from the Chethams of Turton Tower, mortgaging his estate to do so. However, in the end, circumstances forced him to sell up and move on. The estate was bought by a distant relative, Henry Bradshaw from Marple in Cheshire.

The Marple Bradshaws owned the estate for more than two hundred years but as none of the family ever lived at the hall it was occupied by a succession of tenants. Originally a three-storey house about 60 feet long, it had a central porch with bay windows at each side. Successive alterations were carried out over the years by various tenants.

In the 1780s the Lomax family, who were tenants of the hall at that time, started a small bleaching business where they would lay out cloth in the meadows behind the hall to bleach naturally in the sun. This often attracted various people who would steal the cloth to make money, so to combat this watchmen would put out man-traps and loaded guns fired by a trip wire. Anyone ‘lucky’ enough to get caught by a watchman would either be deported to the colonies or executed. One particular local man, James Holland, was unfortunate enough to be executed for stealing cloth so to make sure everyone got the message the entire workforce was made to watch the hanging!

Eventually bleaching cloth in the sun became obsolete when the proximity of Bradshaw Brook, which provided a large and steady source of water, led to the establishment of a more industrial process. In 1834 the Bradshaw family sold 60 acres of land to Thomas Hardcastle who already owned a bleaching and dyeing operation elsewhere. He moved into Bradshaw Hall as the new tenant and would later spend a large amount of money restoring it as well as building a new bleach and dye works.

The Hardcastle family came to have a major influence in the Bradshaw area and over the years they funded the building of a new church, constructed a mission hall, built a new school and opened the town’s first bank … they also built several rows of terraced workers’ houses, some of which still exist today. After buying up small local bleaching businesses and with a new printworks producing 2,400 different patterns which were engraved onto copper printing rollers the site at Bradshaw Hall grew to be the largest bleach and dyeworks in Bolton.

A list of workers’ rules printed in 1875 said that all workspaces, including windows and machinery, were to be kept clean, and fines were imposed for being absent without permission, bringing in people who didn’t work there, smoking, drinking, and being in any part of the site where one wasn’t employed to be, with all the fine money going into a club fund for any sick employees.

Before WWII, the bleach, dye and print works had employed around 700 people … the business continued in existence after the hall was demolished but by 1955 employee numbers were down to 300. However, with further investment new buildings started to be constructed in 1960 but three years later, and just weeks after they were opened, the whole site was closed down permanently. For the next twenty-odd years a succession of different businesses occupied the buildings but they were gradually showing their age and becoming unsuitable for use. One by one the businesses moved out and by the late 1980s the buildings were derelict. The land was sold for housing though it was hoped that a couple of the three-storey buildings could be saved and converted to apartments, but they were in such a bad state of repair that along with the rest of the works demolition was inevitable. Unfortunately during the demolition process one of the works chimneys fell the wrong way and severely damaged the preserved Bradshaw Hall porch… this was rebuilt in the early 1990s and stands in situ where it can be seen to-day.

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* Hall I’ Th’ Woods

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During the mid-17th century, when it was owned by a family of yeomen and merchants (yeomen are a class between gentry and labourers), the hall was given a grand Jacobean-style stone extension.

In later years the building was split into several rented dwellings and, whilst living in one of these with his family, this is where Samuel Crompton famously invented the ‘spinning mule’. This invention was the first multiple spindle machine capable of producing consistently fine yarn. It revolutionised the country’s textile industry and literally shaped the fortunes of Bolton and the north generally.

Hall i’ th’ Wood was inhabited up until the late 19th century, after which it fell into disrepair. Thanks to Lord Leverhulme, local businessman and philanthropist, the building was saved from ruin and much-needed repairs were undertaken. The house and grounds were presented to the people of Bolton in memory of Samuel Crompton and were opened to the public as a museum in 1902.

This is well worth a visit to-day … displays of 17th and 18th centuries, objects and artefacts and insights into the fascinating life and work of Samuel Crompton. The rooms have been accurately refurbished to retain their homely atmosphere and the Lancashire kitchen, cosy Browlow bedroom, fine oak paneling and ornate plasterwork.

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* Turton Tower

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Turton Tower is a Grade I listed manor house. It was built in the late Middle Ages as a two-storey stone pele tower which was altered and enlarges mainly in the late 16th century.

The oldest part of the building, which was probably built in the early 15th century, is the stone pele tower. It was 35 feet in height with walls four feet thick. In the northwest corner of the tower, the shaft of a ‘garderobe’ (room to store valuables) projects from the main structure. The tower had three low storeys as evidenced by the blocked window openings.

Turton Tower was home to the Lords of the Manor of Turton and, in about 1200, was part of the barony of Manchester, by which time part of the manor was in the hands of the de Lathom family. It was inherited in 1420 by the Orrells, who rebuilt the pele tower. In 1628 the Orrells, who were greatly in debt, sold Turton tower to Manchester merchant Humphrey Chetham (of Chetham’s Library and Chetham’s School of Music). It passed to his descendants … the Bland, Green and Frere families, who leased it to a succession of tenant farmers.

Chetham chose to live elsewhere, so the Orrells continued to live here until 1647. During the Civil War (1642-1651), the Orrells were Royalists while Chetham supported Cromwell … these must have been interesting times at the Tower, particularly when Chetham garrisoned Parliamentary troops in the barn!

The tower was sold in a state of disrepair in 1835 to James Kay, who restored it. He sold the tower to Elizabeth and Anne Appleton (their father Thomas Appleton was owner of Horrobin Mill) who leased it to William Rigg, a calico manufacturer. His daughter, Ellen, wrote “Victorian Children at Turton Tower”. In 1903, his widow, Lady Nina Knowles, presented it to Turton Urban District Council in 1930 … it became the council’s seat of local government. For many years, the dining room was used as the council chamber and the drawing room as a committee room. In 1952 the Tower was opened as a museum by Edward Stanley … The Earl of Derby and Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. After local government re-organisation in 1974, Turton was split, and the tower became part of the Borough of Blackburn and was administered by Lancashire County Museums Service. Following changes to the Service, the tower was taken over by Blackburn and Darwen Council.

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* The Bank

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THE NAME ~ Jumbles derives from the word ‘Dumble’, coming from Old English meaning ‘deep wooded valley’ or ‘deep-cut water course … this perfectly gives an image of what the valley would have looked like before the reservoir.

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* Horrobin Bleachworks and Jumbles Reservoir

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Horrobin Mill, which now lies beneath the reservoir, was a site that spanned either side of Bradshaw Brook … its ruins are only visible in times of severe drought! A bleachworks existed here from the 1780s onwards (possibly on the site of a corn or fulling mill), but really expanded significantly in the Victorian age. Initially two separate factories, it merged into one extensive site.

Such was the demand for water that a consortium of bleachers, including the owners of Horrobin Mill and Bradshaw Hall Works, constructed a reservoir further north in the valley. This was Entwistle Reseroir and it served the needs of the bleachworks for 25 years. In 1863, it was compulsory-purchased by Bolton Corporation for drinking water. This meant a new reservoir was required for the industrial needs … hence the construction of Wayoh Reservoir.

A number of local wealthy families owned Horrobin Mill, but in 1937 it was bought by The Bleachers Association (remember them from the Bradshaw Works?), who became its final proprietors. This acquisition proved fatal … it was closed in 1941, allowing its sister site at Bradshaw a greater share of the water from Wayoh. Most of Horrobin Mill’s buildings were demolished in 1948.

Demand for drinking water for Bolton kept growing, and even the construction of the Thirlmere Pipeline bringing water down from the Lake District could not meet it. The decision was made that, along with Entwistle, Wayoh as well should be given over solely to drinking water. However to do that, a third reservoir would be needed to keep Bradshaw Brook scoured (i.e. free from debris) and to supply the Croal-Irwell River complex downstream … cue Jumbles.

A decision was made to construct Jumbles as a ‘compensation reservoir’ to fulfil this purpose. No drinking water would be taken from it.  In 1964, Horrobin Mill site was bought by Bolton Corporation for £8,500 and the remaining buildings demolished. Construction started in 1967 and the first task was to clear the site of all vegetation. Next, two surviving chimneys from the mill were demolished.  The valley was then excavated, with huge amounts of earth being moved to sculpt the basin. This piece of engineering would enable Jumbles Reservoir to discharge four million gallons of water each day into Bradshaw Brook. By August 1970 the reservoir was complete, but work continued on landscaping the perimeter. It took five months for the reservoir to fill up. At capacity it can hold 450 million gallons of water, at a depth of 75 feet. 

In 1971, Jumbles was officially opened by the mayor of Bolton, Alderman John Monks. In 1973, the surrounding site was designated as a Country Park, which was opened by the Queen.

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INFORMATION:

DISTANCE: 6.8 miles

CLIMBING: 730 feet

ORIENTATION: Circular/Clockwise

CAR PARK: Jumbles Country Park BL2 4JS

END OF WALK PUB:???

EATING PLACES: Cafe Twelve / Turton Tower Cafe / Water Fold Cafe

COMMENTS:

DOGS: On lead at all times. All facilities in are dog-friendly

PRODUCED AND NARRATED BY: Vinne Anderson

CAMERA WORK BY: Jon Shedwick

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SOURCES OF INFORMATION: TURTON LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

This was ... "This Ole House"
Blue Fox will return in ...