My dad rang me one morning saying my brother had told him I've been knocking about in old buildings, so I was expecting him to start giving me grief about getting into trouble and/or falling through a dodgy floor. Instead he told me about this place! Haha! Wasn't far from me so I detoured straight there. Legend!
The Unity Mill complex is located off Pole Acre Lane, Woodley.
The area in which it is located is semi–rural in character and on the fringe of the built up area between Stockport, Hyde and Denton. The mill is situated in an isolated location between the Peak Forest Canal and a main railway line. The main access is off an unnamed and unadopted street from Poleacre Lane, leading from Hyde Road.
The mill buildings are considered to be of archaeological and historic interest and are included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record (Ref MGM 3239). The mill is thought to have been constructed in the 1860s for spinning cotton and was formerly known as Trianon Mill. By the 1890’s the mill was converted to a rubber works1 then back again to a textile mill. The site has been used for the manufacture of products for the food, animal feed and brewing sector until it closed in December 2003.
A former canal basin behind the mill is also recorded on the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record, Ref MGM 14973 and is thought to have been built to serve the Hall Lane Colliery, established pre 1829. The wharf was later associated with the Mill. Although the canal bank is overgrown the outline of the basin is extant and the opportunity should be investigated in conjunction with the Council and British Waterways to restore this historic feature and facility as part of any future redevelopment scheme for the Mill.
Adjoining the southern boundary of Unity Mill site, south west of the mill building, is the site of the Coal Pit Fields. Now an overgrown wooded area this site is also included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments record (Ref MGM 14974). The site is shown on the 1871 OS Map and is another feature of the area’s historic growth and development associated with the coal mining, textile industry and the canal which could provide a source for recreation and an opportunity for heritage interpretation.
Info
The Unity Mill complex is located off Pole Acre Lane, Woodley.
The area in which it is located is semi–rural in character and on the fringe of the built up area between Stockport, Hyde and Denton. The mill is situated in an isolated location between the Peak Forest Canal and a main railway line. The main access is off an unnamed and unadopted street from Poleacre Lane, leading from Hyde Road.
History
The mill buildings are considered to be of archaeological and historic interest and are included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record (Ref MGM 3239). The mill is thought to have been constructed in the 1860s for spinning cotton and was formerly known as Trianon Mill. By the 1890’s the mill was converted to a rubber works1 then back again to a textile mill. The site has been used for the manufacture of products for the food, animal feed and brewing sector until it closed in December 2003.
A former canal basin behind the mill is also recorded on the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Record, Ref MGM 14973 and is thought to have been built to serve the Hall Lane Colliery, established pre 1829. The wharf was later associated with the Mill. Although the canal bank is overgrown the outline of the basin is extant and the opportunity should be investigated in conjunction with the Council and British Waterways to restore this historic feature and facility as part of any future redevelopment scheme for the Mill.
Adjoining the southern boundary of Unity Mill site, south west of the mill building, is the site of the Coal Pit Fields. Now an overgrown wooded area this site is also included in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments record (Ref MGM 14974). The site is shown on the 1871 OS Map and is another feature of the area’s historic growth and development associated with the coal mining, textile industry and the canal which could provide a source for recreation and an opportunity for heritage interpretation.
