Hanover Mill, Manchester

Originally located at Long Millgate, before being established at Berry Street, Buxton Street, London Road, Manchester

• 1827 'FIRE AT THE HANOVER MILL. NORRIS AND HODGSON respectfully return thanks for the prompt and successful exertions of their friends, in arresting the progress of the Fire, which broke out in their Mill this morning. Long Millgate, Friday Afternoon.'

• 1837 'HANOVER MILL. LONDON.ROAD.— TO BE SOLD BY PRIVATE CONTRACT, all the new erected MILL and PREMISES, situate near Buxton-street and London-road, in Manchester, known as the HANOVER MILL. The building comprises seven stories. The bottom room is 13 feet high, and the others average 10 feet in height, and 108 feet long, by the unusual width of 73 feet, exclusive of a side room upon each landing, and the whole are well and judiciously lighted. There are also engine-house, and complete detached blowing, cotton, and mixing-up rooms: also two forty horse power steam-engines, three boilers of forty-five horse power each, with self-feeders and regulator thereto, and geering and steam pipes throughout. The bottom room is well adapted for weaving, or the entire may be used with great advantage for spinning only, there being ample room and power for 10,000 throstle and 32,000 mule spindles, with preparation. There is a large quantity of vacant land adjoining the mill, and a number of cottages are upon part of the land, which can be sold with the mill, so that the establishment may conveniently enlarged for any additional purpose.—The property is bounded on the east and south-east sides by the river Medlock, and being advantageously situated for every purpose, presents a most favourable opportunity for investment, to any person wishing to enter into business, or to a capitalist anxious to secure certain and safe income.—For particulars apply to Mr. Solicitor, Norfolk-street, Manchester.'

• 1840 'Fire — Between twelve and one o'clock on Monday last, a fire was discovered in the fourth story of the cotton mill of Messrs. Withington, Hilton, and Wood, known as the Hanover Mill, Buxton-street, Bank Top. Information was immediately sent to the police-yard, and a pipe from the cistern belonging to the mill was made to play against the flames, and an engine was obtained from the works of Messrs. Thomas Hoyle and Sons, printers, Mayfield. Information of the fire was received at the police-yard about five minutes to one o'clock, and an engine was immediately despatched to the place. When it arrived, the fire was raging at one end of the mill, and had burned out two or three windows. The branch pipe belonging to the mill was given up to the firemen, with the branch from the Niagara engine they played upon the flames. In about an hour, the fire was got under, and the workpeople employed in the mill commenced carrying out the damaged cotton in skips into the yard, where it was played upon for some time by the firemen. The fire was totally extinguished about half-past three o'clock. It commenced in the fourth story, at the fireproof end of the mill, in a room used a cotton store, which was more than usually full at the time. The origin of the fire is not known, and it can only be accounted for supposing that quantity of waste which had been put into the room had spontaneously ignited. The damage, it is supposed, will not exceed £500, which is covered insurances in the Phoenix, the Sun, the Manchester, the Liverpool, and the Globe insurance offices.'

• 1856 Advertisement: 'Steam engines on sale by Private Contract. TWO 40 horse Marine ENGINES, by Galloway and Co., 3 feet 6 inch stroke, with their first motion spur wheels, fly wheel, &c. May be seen work at the Hanover Mill, Buxton Street.'

• 1860 Serious fire destroyed the older part of the mill, and damaged the top floor and roof of the 'new' mill

• LOCATION. The 1849 O.S. map shows the mill about 250 yds S-SE of London Road (Piccadilly) Station, on the western bank of the River Medlock. The shape in plan was basically rectangular, and the length was approx 300 ft, compared with 103 ft mentioned in the 1837 advert, this, and the presence of an engine house and boiler house at each end, indicates that it was able to expand linearly, unlike many Manchester mills which were constrained to expand in various directions. However, the 1891 O.S. map indicated that the northern half of the mill had been demolished, while other buildings had been added on the site. The northern half was doubtless the old part of the mill, destroyed by the fire in 1860.

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