Woodnook mill. - Page 11

cashman · 11-12-2009, 19:28

Worked at both Highams n Warbys, was as ugly inside as out, i'm wi bernard n margaret r on that.

Margaret Pilkington · 11-12-2009, 20:13

Margaret, nowhere in my post did I refer to them as 'the good old days'......my observation was simply that these two factories provided employment for many of the local people.......my own parents being among them......and because it provided work, it meant that we got to eat.

It is a part of the local fabric of life, and while you may have considered the building to be ugly, it had a purpose.
The houses that will be built on the land that is 'liberated' will also have a purpose, but little in the way of 'character'.......and character doesn't imply beauty......but something entirely different.

Margaret Pilkington · 11-12-2009, 20:19

Personally, I didn't consider the building to be ugly.......and I saw the inside too.
It was an industrial edifice, fit for the purpose for which it was built.

Many other industrial buildings were equally ugly(if you want to see them as such) but have been sensitively treated to convert them to other uses.

MargaretR · 11-12-2009, 20:28

I find it difficult to raise any feeling for this demolition other than good riddance.
My grandparents on both sides were weavers. My dad was a tackler, and my mother was a weaver.
I had an uncle who died when I was seven, when the upper storey of a mill collapsed and crushed him whilst he was working.
My dad had a hernia and slipped disc due to the lifting.
I recall my dad going to work with a plaster cast from his hip to his ankle(damaged knees from crawling under looms).
Both my parents had occupational deafness (only recently recognised as an industrial disease).
Byssinosis was a cotton lung disease often not diagnosed (no health service then)
To me, the chimneys are sad reminders of suffering. I will be glad when they are all gone.

katex · 12-12-2009, 12:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Many other industrial buildings were equally ugly(if you want to see them as such) but have been sensitively treated to convert them to other uses.

I think the original intention from the purchasers of Woodnook Mills was to convert it into a mixed use development, however, didn't have enough takers ... couldn't leave it to rot with no projected income, so what else could be done ?

Margaret Pilkington · 12-12-2009, 18:57

I guess the current financial climate didn't help much.....and the situation of the place couldn't really be described as a beauty spot......if there had been a pretty view or a stretch of calming water then it might have been a different story.

MargaretR · 12-12-2009, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I guess the current financial climate didn't help much.....and the situation of the place couldn't really be described as a beauty spot......if there had been a pretty view or a stretch of calming water then it might have been a different story.

I had to chuckle at that.

The Waterside (puddleside) flats haven't been a success either.
I suppose they have demolished in the interests of safety, but redeveloping the site will undoubtedly be 'on hold'.

Margaret Pilkington · 12-12-2009, 19:07

My family have a long history of working in the cotton mills......my paternal grandfather was a screen printer at Broad Oak Works, My auntie was a weaver, my uncle made the machinery that spun the cotton, both my parents were weavers at Highams Mill, I was a weaver of jacquard fabric before I went into the Nursing profession, so I guess I have a background that has much to do with the cotton trade.......and yes the health and welfare of the workers sometimes left a lot to be desired (there was a works nurse at Highams Mill)......but there was a cameraderie among the workers, they were like a family, they had a laugh at work(though I know the work was hard)......the children of the workers always got a trip to the seaside in summer, a panto and a Christmas Party at the Cotton Club.......and my father considered that he earned a fair wage.......it kept us fed and clothed anyway.

Margaret Pilkington · 12-12-2009, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

I had to chuckle at that.

The Waterside (puddleside) flats haven't been a success either.
I suppose they have demolished in the interests of safety, but redeveloping the site will undoubtedly be 'on hold'.

Yes Margaret, you are right about those flats.....they are new build and they are totally devoid of character.
I would not want to live in them, but that has a lot to do with the area....and I think that the houses which are to be built on the land that will be free once the factory is gone completely will suffer the same fate......for a variety of reasons.

LYNX1 · 12-12-2009, 20:05

Woodnook has slid down the evolutionary scale in the last 10/15 years, due to the absentee landlords mostly, and the vermin who are moving in (it's such a shame)....but since I moved from there in May I have seen a shocking change, there seems to be more pikies, more alcoholics and more junkies, and more scummy teens.....I loved my house but I'm well out of it now.

Margaret Pilkington · 12-12-2009, 20:28

Yes Lynx, that is one of the reasons why I feel that the proposed housing development will be a flop.
I haven't lived in that area for over 40 years, but my Ma has lived there for 60+ years and she comments on the low life and scum who have moved into what were once lovely houses, with proud residents.