Spinning mule in Nutclough Mill, c1930 - CWS00122

This view is of the spinning room and shows a pair of self-acting mules spinning cotton yarn from roving. The spindles are mounted in a moving carriage and move away from the drafting rollers, inserting twist. Usually in cotton spinning, the carriage 'gained' on the rollers, so 'spindle drafting' occurred. Twist ran preferentially to thin places, which then were drafted less than thick, giving a more even yarn. At the completion of the 'draw', more twist might be inserted, then the faller wires changed over and the yarn was wound on to the cops as the carriage returned to the start position. These mules are made by Platts of Oldham, the largest makers, as shown by the position of the quadrant inside the headstock frame.

The spinning mule was invented between 1775 and 1779 by Samuel Crompton. The self-acting mule was patented by Richard Roberts in 1825, and was used extensively to spin cotton and other fibres from the late 18th to the early 20th century.

Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd. Publicity Dept.

Pennine Horizons Digital Archive

1930s

PHDA - Co-operative Heritage Trust

Pennine Horizons Digital Archive

CWS00122.tif