Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Finsthwaite, Lakeside, Southern Lakes, Cumbria
Making bobbins is one of those industries that largely passed the world by; fortunately at Stott Park Bobbin Mill, immediately north of Lakeside, it is preserved a working wonder of the industrial age where millions of bobbins were shaped between 1835 and 1971. This ‘live’ museum is an extraordinary look back to a lost world. Purpose-built in 1835, this extensive working mill tucked away in a wooded glade near the village of Finsthwaite, just to the west of Lake Windermere, provided literally millions of the wooden bobbins vital to the Lancashire weaving and spinning industry; a typical cotton mill of the early 19th century might have thousands of spindles, and each spindle required several bobbins. Although relatively small compared to other mills, some 250 men and boys (some drafted in from workhouses) worked here over the years in often arduous conditions to produce up to a quarter of a million bobbins a week The valley location was ideally situated to take advantage of good growing conditions for coppiced wood, which was the raw material from which bobbins were made. The mill was originally powered by a water wheel drawing the water supply from the nearby mill pond to power its lathes. A water turbine was introduced in 1858, and in 1880 a steam engine was added, not to replace the water turbine, but to supplement it during the drier summer months when the flow of water in the streams was low. Most steam turbines of that period ran on coal, but the one at Stott Park was made to run on the wood by-products of the milling process. The original steam turbine was replaced in the 1890s, and again in 1931. Finally, the steam turbines were replaced by a more efficient pair of electric motors in 1941. The steam turbine can still be seen in operation, however. he mill was closed in 1971 but it was reopened in 1983 as a museum under the care of the Department of the Environment, and passed to the care of English Heritage the following year. It is open to the public.
Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Finsthwaite, Southern Lakes, Cumbria, UK
Photo credit: © Park Dale / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 1835, 1971, antique, antiques, barrels, belts, bobbin, bobbins, coppiced, cotton, district, finsthwaite, interior, interiors, lake, machinery, mill, park, pine, power, powered, reels, refurbished, shavings, steam, stott, victorian, water, wood, woodworking, working
