Site record MDR13256 - Cowbrook Mill (site of), Sheffield Road, Glossop

Cowbrook Mill was built in 1801 by William Hadfield. It closed in 1898. (1) William Hadfield, a roller turner of Hadfield, obtained a lease of land on May 30 1801. By 1824 the mill was working 4656 spindles. The mill remained in the family until the death of Joshua Henry Hadfield in 1906. The mill had been in the Hadfield family for 98 years before being sold to Edward Platt of Mersey Bank. (2) The Cowbrook Mill was cotton spinning mill, built of stone beyond what was then the eastern edge of the township of Glossop, just north north of the Hurst (or Scotland) Brook. It was originally water powered, by a 10HP wheel, fed by a leat leading off the brook. At this time the mill building was of 4 storeys with 4 bays, with a footprint of 38 X 34 feet. The mill trebbled in size in the 1830s, with a further 8 bays, also of 4 storeys, with a footprint 85 X 35 feet, added to the south of the original mill. This may have coincided with addition of a 35HP water wheel and with the construction of a reservior to the northest of the mill, to improve the power and reliability of the water supply to this mill and to the mills downstream. Sometime between 1857 and 1879 an a boiler house and engine house was added to the south of the mill, probably required the Hurst Stream having to be diverted. It appears, however, that steam power was only used to augment waterpower as the stream engine that was installed was only a low powered, 30 inch cylinder. By the time the mill closed in 1898 there was the capacity to run more than 17,000 spindles, The closure was probably down to out of date machinery and an unreliabel water supply.Descr "Cowbrook Mill was built in 1801 by William Hadfield. It closed in 1898. (1) William Hadfield, a roller turner of Hadfield, obtained a lease of land on May 30 1801. By 1824 the mill was working 4656 spindles. The mill remained in the family until the death of Joshua Henry Hadfield in 1906. The mill had been in the Hadfield family for 98 years before being sold to Edward Platt of Mersey Bank. (2) The Cowbrook Mill was cotton spinning mill, built of stone beyond what was then the eastern edge of the township of Glossop, just north north of the Hurst (or Scotland) Brook. It was originally water powered, by a 10HP wheel, fed by a leat leading off the brook. At this time the mill building was of 4 storeys with 4 bays, with a footprint of 38 X 34 feet. The mill trebbled in size in the 1830s, with a further 8 bays, also of 4 storeys, with a footprint 85 X 35 feet, added to the south of the original mill. This may have coincided with addition of a 35HP water wheel and with the construction of a reservoir to the northest of the mill, to improve the power and reliability of the water supply to this mill and to the mills downstream. Sometime between 1857 and 1879 an a boiler house and engine house was added to the south of the mill, probably required the Hurst Stream having to be diverted. It appears, however, that steam power was only used to augment waterpower as the stream engine that was installed was only a low powered, 30 inch cylinder. By the time the mill closed in 1898 there was the capacity to run more than 17,000 spindles, The closure was probably down to out of date machinery and an unreliabel water supply. The mill was bought in 1898 by another local mill owner, but there is no evidence that the new oener ever operated the mill, and by the 1920 most of the mill building had been demolished. To the north of the mill building there were a number of buildings associated with the mill. These included: the owner's house, at the eastern end of the complex fronting the road to Sheffield with gardens leading on to the reservoir (complete with a boathouse), offices, outbuildings and 5 other dwellings. In 2018 all that remained of the mill complex were: -The entrance with stone gate piers. -The dwellings, to the north of the mill building and to the east of the entrance including the owner's house. -The office building, to the west of the entrance. -Part of the original mill (the source describes it as 'southermost', but it in fact lay to the north) named 'Cowbrook Mill'. -Parts of the foundatins of the extension to the mill. -What is reported to be the engine house, as part of a completely separate structure next to the stream. -What is reported to be a part of the stable block (to the est of the mill complex, by the stream. All of which are reported to be now dwellings or garden features. (3)