Nether Springs Bleach Works

[The Parksider]

tyke bhoy wrote: http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?id=200267_77209109 Thanks Tyke bhoy, the building to the right (there are two buildings together) has been mainly dismantled for the stone I assume, the other being brick.here's the likely modus operandi......."To bleach cloth, it was repeatedly steeped in natural alkaline solutions derived from ash, called "bucking". It was then washed and exposed to sun and air by being hung out in the bleachfields (known as "crofts"). After being immersed in buttermilk, called ‘souring’ it received final washing, stretching and drying. The process could take up to eight months and with cloth in the open, a watchman was employed to guard crofts at night. Theft of cloth from a croft was an offence liable to capital punishment".    

[The Parksider]

Leodian wrote: That is a most interesting report . Horsforth History society report that the Ingham family had a daughter Hannah who married a flax bleacher called Matthew Pullan of Saddleworth. After living in Saddlworth they returned to Horsforth in the 1860's to build the Bleachworks on her brothers farm. In 1871 it employed 70 workers bleaching Linen. However cotton imports led to the demise of the industry in the early 1900's.The cottage on the lane leading up from the works was specially built for Hannah and Matthew.The Ingham family were apparently an extensive important family in Horsforth, who owned the Dean Grange Farm above the works, so I assume the cold store was used to keep food for the extended family, and would have been used by Oaks Farm which Matthew Pullan also leased and worked.The building of the Bramhope Tunnel led Robert Ingham of Dean Grange to open a pub on the site called the "Bay Horse", which served the irish navvies nightly. The bridge over the railway is "Bay Horse Bridge"    

[Leodian]

Thanks for that The Parksider. Such bits of information are always good to find out more about local things. While passing a few minutes at a local library today I happened to look at a Thoresby Society publication that had miscellaneous short reports, one of which was about very old iron works (including smelting) in the Creskeld area near Arthington. I never knew there had been such a thing there, nor even that iron containing deposits used to be mined nearby.