Adlington and District has long held with the textile industry in both the manufacturing processes. Samuel Oldknow of Roscoe Lowe, Anderton, is credited the first to produce English muslin's in 1764. Robert Anderton and William Norris had weaving mills in during 1824, which despite being described as mills, suggesting large premises, would probably have been no more than  two cottages knocked into one.

A water colour drawing exists of Huyton Bleach works dating from 1816. The premises were actually situated on the Adlington/Blackrod boundary but both the bleachworks and Huston House, which stands close by, are more regularly associated with Adlington.
   Benjamin Davies, who was born in London in 1825, the son of Reverend D. Davies, was orphaned when only three years of age.  Benjamin first moved to Milford in South Wales to live with relatives but by the time he was fifteen he had moved to Bolton where he managed to secure an apprenticeship with Messrs Hick Hargreaves and Company, Engineers.
Associations with Thomas Glaister, J. P., of Messrs Blair and Sumner's Bleachworks, and Mr Bridson of Bolton, directed Benjamin's mind towards a career in the bleaching industry.
  In 1848, when only 23 years old, Benjamin Davies bought an old run down and disused block print works at Huyton, Blackrod. He struck up a partnership with a man called Rule who, together, founded the firm of Rule and Davies, Bleachers. Mr Rule only stayed in the partnership for a short time, withdrawing in 1853. Davies then went into business with James Eckersley of Burnt House, Adlington. The firm, registered as Davies and Eckersley, was very successful and in 1889 became a private limited company.
From a workforce of only 20 hands in 1848 the firm had 300 employees on its payroll by 1893.

The Brook Doubling Company Limited, Brook Mill, Adlington, was incorporated in January 1948, and produced Rayon Crepe Yarns and Doubled Yarns for a variety of clothes from Dress Goods to Lingerie. This firm enjoyed early success and took over Huyton Bleachworks during 1951. The general decline in  the demand for textiles led to the closure of both concerns and the demolition of Huyton Bleachworks. Light engineering is now carried on in the remaining buildings of Brook Mill.

Jacquards, circular cloth, printers, dobby cloths, surgical fabrics, drills, sateen's, ducks, calicos and twills were all manufactured at Higher Mill, Adlington, the premises of Derbyshire and Blackburn Limited. The business commenced early this century, about 1904, but was closed down during the Second World War under the Government's scheme for the concentration of industry. All the looms were temporarily removed while the factory was used as a food store. At the end of the war it took seven months to replace the machinery and restore production.
 The Bata Shoe Company purchased Higher Mill in April 1949. This takeover did not substantially alter production because large quantities of cotton textiles were used in the manufacture of footwear. There is an excellent site on the Bata Shoe Company at www.batamemories.org.uk , which has photographs of people at Adlington mill retiring and other presentations as well as some photos of the interiors. Higher Mill was subsequently demolished to make way for residential houses, the main part of this development being called Mill Street.

Cotton Stockinette, used to cover meat and other foodstuffs, was the chief product of the Lancashire Knitting Company. At one time it was one of the largest producers in the country with annual output of fifteen million yards of cloth . The factory premises situated off Westhoughton Road, Adlington were opened in the early 1920's and employed approximately one hundred, mainly female, workers. It was a proud boast that the factory plan facilitated the raw material entering at one end and the finished product leaving at the other end, press packed in bales and ready for export, without any interruption in the chain. The works is now used by a polythene supply firm.

The Pin Croft works date back to the early nineteenth century and probably much earlier although the actual establishment date is not known. Pattern books dating back to 1835 are believed to be in the possession of the company.
    Block printing was gradually replaced by piece dyeing, the two chief colours used being indigo for the West African market and sulphur dye for the home trade. After the First World War the West African market was lost and a drastic re-appraisal of working practices was undertaken to remain competitive and viable. The introduction of mineral dyes was one of the changes effected which helped to keep the firm in business.
    Throughout the Second World War the Pin Croft Works were largely responsible for fulfilling War Ministry contracts which necessitated a drastic reduction in the normal trade. However, the end of the war saw the works being extended and full order books once again. The firm continues to this day and is one of few remaining textile concerns in the area.

Thomas Gerrard and Son, Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers, appear in the 1866 Mannex Trades Directory trading from Lower Mill. However, in an advertisement appearing in St. Paul's School £3,000 Bazaar programme for 1952 the works premises are entitled Adlington Mill.
    Gerrards had a good reputation for looking after their workforce. Many of the employees spent all their working lives in the service of the Company and there was also continuity in the management set up.
    During the Second World War Gerrard's Mill was damaged by a German land-mine dropped on Market Street, Adlington. The damage was subsequently repaired and while this work was underway the opportunity was taken to re-arrange the looms and add a number of buildings and extensions to existing structures. Latterly, the firm specialized in the manufacture of furnishings and upholstery fabrics. On closure of the works during the 1960's they were purchased by another local concern - Leonard Fairclough Limited, building and civil engineering contractors.

Springfield Mill, situated on Babylon Adlington, was once owned and operated by the Middleton family. They had number of residences in relatively proximity to the mill including Springfield House,  Appenzell and  Newlands.( Appenzell is now a hotel.) The workers had cottages in Factory Lane while a number of the junior management lived in accommodation at Springfield Terrace. The factory was one of the main sources of employment for local people.
    Following closure of Springfield Mill in early 1930 the United Africa Company purchased it. It was generally felt that this company would continue to run the business in much the same way that the Middleton family had and retain many of the workers but hopes were soon dashed when the mill machinery was packaged to be transported abroad.
    A branch of the Weston Biscuit Company operated from Springfield Mill from 1934. The works was a distribution centre and the local firm off. Southworth Limited, was contracted to receive biscuits sent by rail from Weston's factory in Edinburgh for re-delivery to retail outlets in the district.
    Prior to the demolition of Springfield Mill in 1988, it was know locally as "the biscuit factory" . The site has since been developed as a private residential estate.

Coal Mining

Rich seams of coal underlying the whole of South Lancashire have provided work for generations of miners. Reference is made to the mineral wealth of the district as early as 1350 when Margaret de Shuttleworth exchanged land at Shevington with Robert de Standish and he reserved firestone and sea coal if it were possible to find them on lands mentioned.
  Burgh in Duxbury was an important coal mining centre with several mines ranging from outcrops of coal on the River Yarrow to Arley mine, which was excavated to a depth of 137 feet.
    Techniques of mining have advanced considerably since the early 'bell-pits' and as shafts have been sunk deeper and deeper into the earth's crust additional problems, including ventilation, explosion and subsidence, have added to the dangers.
    The Standish family of Standish and Duxbury held coal mining rights over their lands for many years. In 1840 Sir Thomas Standish of Duxbury is reported to have sold a coal mine in Duxbury for £8,000. Duxbury Park Colliery and Ellerbeck Colliery were eventually to outlive their counterparts.

Ellerbeck Colliery took its name from Eller Brook, which runs through Ellerbeck Estate. The Adlington Coal Company who sank the first shaft in 1876 worked the site. The company was relatively short lived and went into liquidation in June 1932. A further effort was made by private individuals to run the colliery successfully during the 1930's. Eventually, in 1947, the mine was nationalized becoming the property of the National Coal Board. Just over a decade later, in 1958, Ellerbeck Colliery employed its highest ever workforce of 411 men (woman also worked at Ellerbeck and they were known as Pit Brew Lassies) and the largest annual saleable coal output of 174,172 tons was achieved. Following this, however, there was a general decline in demand for coal which subsequently led to the closure of Ellerbeck Colliery in August 1965. In the late 1970's and early 80's Ellerbeck was reopened as an open cast mine, it has since been landscaped to open fields.
    There was always rivalry between the miners at Ellerbeck and Duxbury Park Collieries, each competing to outdo the other in terms of production, etc. The two pits had extensive marshalling yards for their coal wagons and trains from both collieries used the same mine railway to connect with the main rail routes. The mine line fell into disuse when it became more economic to use road haul-age for transporting coal.
  At present, the old mine line is densely overgrown and the only complete bridge remaining along the route once taken is that which carries Rawlinson Lane over the abandoned railway cutting. The two bridges on the route of the mine line that spanned Wigan Lane and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, respectively, have been demolished. The timber yard and sawmills of Raab Karcher presently stand in front of the site of what was Duxbury Park Colliery.

Leonard Fairclough

One name that will long be associated with Adlington is that of Leonard Fairclough. During the late nineteenth century he operated as a stonemason in and around the Adlington District, principally involved in funerary architecture.
    In 1883 Leonard Fairclough went into business on his own account trading under his own name. This must have been an agonizing decision for him with a family of four sons to look after. Nevertheless, the venture prospered and success brought in more and more orders. Eventually all his sons were involved in the business. The emphasis was changed from monumental masonry and local work to large civil engineering contracts
    One of his four sons, Leonard Miller Fairclough, joined the firm on leaving school when only thirteen years old. He virtually ran the business throughout the First World War and was in charge when it was incorporated during 1917 and commenced trading as Leonard Fairclough Limited. Leonard Miller Fairclough became chairman of the company in 1927 and retained this position until his retirement in 1965. During this time the firm gained an international reputation for excellence.
    The company of Leonard Fairclough built its first bridge in 1905, which carries Belmont Road, Abbey Village, over Calf Hey Brook. This relatively minor structure, when contrasted with later contracts including twenty one bridges on the M6 motorway, serve to illustrate the growth of this once local concern.  Although the company is now part of the Amec group it is still a major employer in Adlington.
    Leonard Miller Fairclough held a number of public offices during his lifetime and was particularly active in charitable works. He was awarded a C.B.E., during 1968 for his services in the construction industry. Sadly he died on Saturday 7th February 1976, at the home of one of his three married daughters at Appley Bridge, near Wigan. He is buried in Adlington Cemetery. There is also a Memorial Garden in Park Road dedicated to Leonard Fairclough which is maintained by Park Road and District Neighbourhood Watch and open to the public.