Low Moor is a hamlet which is part of the town of

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for to ...

, located in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is situated two miles southwest of Clitheroe proper. It is significant for being a well documented

mill village A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * '' Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World He ...

History

In the nineteenth century, the hamlet was home to Low Moor Mill, "a most extensive cotton manufacture, with power looms, put in motion by an immense body of machinery". Employment and census data from the community has provided an important case study in the social history of the nineteenth century cotton industry. This

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

, taken over by Jeremiah Garnett and Timothy Horsfall in 1799, closed in 1930 and was demolished. The workers' cottages survived. Two diaries of historical interest survive, one written by the weaver John O'Neill, and one by a co owner of the factory, James Garnett.Owen Ashmore, ''Industrial Archaeology of North-west England'' (Manchester University Press, 1982), pp. 197-198.

Low Moor Mill

The first mill, a five storey spinning mill, opened in 1782. The owners built cottages for the workers in the spirit of the mill towns of the following century. The mill and 28 workers cottage were sold to Parker and Parker in 1791, and then in 1799, to Jeremiah Garnett and Timothy Horsfall. The mill was demolished, replaced and extended. The 1824 mill was powered by three iron

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous blade ...

s running on mill race from a weir built on the

River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...

. Three

beam engine A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead Beam (structure), beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used b ...

s were added by 1858. Weaving sheds were built in the 1850s and 1860s. The 1840 mill was powered by 3 iron

s on a leet from the

, supplemented by

s. The waterwheels were replaced in the late nineteenth century by turbines, and the beam engines were upgraded to a 1250 IHP vertical steam engine in 1893/4. Garnett's mill closed in 1930. The buildings have been demolished and replaced by housing.

Housing

Parker and Garnett developed the housing. There were 262 houses with 1057 inhabitants in the 1861 census. Some of these were back to back in design, and at a later stage these were 'knocked through' to provide 'through houses' with a yard and privy, to comply with the standards laid down in the 1875 Public Health Act. Thus, in 1928 when the mill closed, there were 200 houses, nine shops, a National school, church and two Methodist chapels.

Social amenities

Low Moor has a local club called the Low Moor Reading Room and Club with two snooker tables, one pool table, one dartboard, and a few slot machines. Some of the residents of Clitheroe and Low Moor come here to socialize. Professional

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Fighter

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

grew up in this part of town. There is also a nursery situated in the area named St Paul's Nursery as well as St Paul's Church. Low Moor

Croquet Croquet ( or ) is a sport which involves hitting wooden, plastic, or composite balls with a mallet through hoops (often called Wicket, "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court. Variations In all forms of croquet, in ...

Club is also a place of interest which is run by Low Moor Residents Luke Chatburn and Adam Warriner. A Spar Store has been built within the area for local residents.

Places of interest

and two bridges ( Edisford Bridge) * Low Moor Reading Room and Club * Low Moor Croquet Club * Low Moor Croquet Lawn

References

External links

* http://www.oldclitheroe.co.uk/page138.htm {{Borough of Ribble Valley Geography of Ribble Valley Clitheroe