The Cottonopolis Album: Greater Manchester in the Daily Herald Archive
Our colleagues at our sister museum in Bradford, the National Science and Media Museum, have unearthed a wonderful selection of images of life in early-to-mid 20th century Manchester.
Under the guidance of Fiona Philip and Daniel Mutibwa (Pararchive Research Fellows at the University of Leeds), Niamh O’Donnell – a student at the School of Media and Communication – delved into the archive for the project. The team unearthed images of the working life of Greater Manchester’s cotton industry, as well as a couple of well-known music venues, the Astoria and Free Trade Hall.
This selection of photographs was made on behalf of Pararchive’s creative-technology partners, Arduino MCR and Bokeh-Yeah!. The images will support and inspire the group members’ Arduino projects and DSLR-shot documentary films, as well as being used in the online storytelling service, Yarn, which was co-produced by the Pararchive project.
Designers at work in a general studio of the Calico Printers Asso, Oxford Road, Manchester, 1931Wire stitching pattern “swatches” in a CPA works in Manchester, 1931Leaving a Salford mill, 1936, Bishop MarshallSpinning room of Rigby Mill, Oldham. White, c. 1938Spinning room of Rigby Mill, Oldham. White, c. 1938Female worker at machine, 1947Typical of the all-out effort to ensure that the industry pulls its weight in the export battle is Mrs Margaret Colley, seen carrying an outsize load of bobbins to her frame – taken at the Brook Mills, Hollingwood, Near Oldham. Bert Abell, 1948Workers at Tootal Broadhurst Lee Sunnyside Mill, Bolton, working extra night shifts. Kathleen Smith of Bolton on her row of looms. Thompson, 1949Lunchtime at the Marlborough Mill, Droylsden. Roland Hicklin, 1951Children of mill workers at Marlborough Mill, Droylsden, at play in the mill. Roland Hicklin, 1951The rebuilt Free Trade Hall is flood lit on the outside as the Halle Orchestra and chorus rehearse for the fanfare for the Queen the following day. White, 1951With the huge platform packed to its full capacity, Sir John Barbirolli rehearses the augmented Halle Orchestra and chorus in preparation for the Royal opening of the rebuilt Free Trade Hall the following day. This is the first time the Halle have played together in full strength at this famous hall since the blitz. White, 1951Mr Edward Hamilton of St John Street, Lees, Oldham, a cotton spinner with wife and four young children who, like others, has been on short-time working owing to the depression, reads the Sunday paper in the hope of better news. White, 1952Male cotton operatives wait in snow to enter Oldham Labour exchange the scene is typical of many towns hit by the slump in the industry. White, 1952Female cotton workers leave the Oldham Labour exchange after receiving pay. The notice on the window gives names of the mills for which payment is being paid on this day. White, 1952Exterior views of the Jackson Street spinning mill, off London Road, Manchester. White, 1955Mill girls rehearse mannequin display at Royton Co-op Hall. Roland Hicklin, 1955Stock picture of the Astoria Ballroom, Plymouth Grove, Longsight, Manchester, 195519-year-old Jean Rogers from Oldham and her friend Joan Hayes take a quick breather in Hyde Park before joining 6,000 other Lancashire cotton workers in a two-hour march against cheap cloth from India, Pakistan and Hong Kong. L Blandford, 1962Staff at Willaim Tatton’s of Golborne, Lancashire, work over Christmas to meet export orders. Roland Hicklin, 1967
About the Daily Herald Archive
The Daily Herald Archive is part of the National Media Museum’s photography collection. It contains more than 3 million images taken for the Daily Herald – at one time the world’s top-selling newspaper – from 1911 until its closure in the late 1960s. Documenting regional, national and international news for over half of the 20th century, the Daily Herald Archive encompasses everything from images of royalty and celebrities to local curiosities.
Mike is the museum's Web Manager, a role that includes serving as guardian of this blog. This is his first foray into the wonderful world of museums, having spent over eight years working in digital content for various media agencies and outlets.
4 comments on “The Cottonopolis Album: Greater Manchester in the Daily Herald Archive”
Great photos, hard times, happy face for some. I was looking for images of women mill workers from Oldham, my grandmother worked in Oldham and Salford.
We lived on Ordsall Lane Salford. The front gate of Howarths Mill was just across the road. My Gran ( Charlotte Atkinson) used to be a weaver long before I was born. As a little girl in the 1950’s I used to love watching the Millhands coming out of the gates. The women would have fluff all over their hair and clothes. I often wondered what it was like inside the great big building. Like many weavers my Gran lost her hearing. If we were talking to her and making funny faces she would tell us to stop meemawing. That was the way they communicated in the weaving sheds.
Great photos, hard times, happy face for some. I was looking for images of women mill workers from Oldham, my grandmother worked in Oldham and Salford.
We lived on Ordsall Lane Salford. The front gate of Howarths Mill was just across the road. My Gran ( Charlotte Atkinson) used to be a weaver long before I was born. As a little girl in the 1950’s I used to love watching the Millhands coming out of the gates. The women would have fluff all over their hair and clothes. I often wondered what it was like inside the great big building. Like many weavers my Gran lost her hearing. If we were talking to her and making funny faces she would tell us to stop meemawing. That was the way they communicated in the weaving sheds.
Amazing to see my mum Jean Rogers at the Cotton Protest, Hyde Park 1962
She’s always wanted to see this photo and delighted to have seen it!