[NorthMancBeds]

After a couple of fails today I simply had to satisfy the urge and this reared its head as I darted between Rochdale and Bury. It was completely devastated after a 2006 fire and there are collapsed roofs and floors throughout the buildings. On return my internet searches brought up an NWEX link here, and I felt that the older bits of the building had not been sufficiently researched, they were clearly older than the manufacturing of polymer based traffic management devices that Melba Products had latterly made on the site before its demise. Not to mention the fact that you can no longer view the images…mods?

According to the description of the assessment by University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, (found here) the site “was first developed in the mid-19th century, with the establishment of a dye works by 1864. By 1871 the works was used as a waste mill involved in the bleaching of cotton waste. From the early to mid 1890s the site functioned as a bleach works and was partly rebuilt and expanded in size. Further expansion took place between 1908 and 1928. The works continued in use into the latter half of the 20th century and was also expanded during this period. The building assessment identified a number of elements within the building which dated from the successive phases of expansion between the 1890s and late 20th century.”



This 1910 OS extract shows the works and the reservoirs behind, I didn’t roam around in the bushes to see if there were any traces of these, though if I’m passing again I’ll probably pop in to satisfy my curiosity. There’s a small amount of puerile graffiti, but mostly confined to the C20 blockwork walls, so the decay is pleasant to capture. Personally my favourite bit was a pre-war concrete portal framed shed, with a mass of ductwork on the floor and the low afternoon sun streaming in. For those of a upskirt disposition you can climb into the base of the chimney, but I was sporting a new light grey softshell and wasn’t up for getting skanky in the soot.

peace

NMB