Caledon Mill, Manchester

in Great Ancoats Street, Manchester

1831 Shown on Bancks's 1831 map as 'Kennedy's Cotton Mill'. The 400 ft long frontage of the mill was on Great Ancoats Street, while the back was served by a branch of the Ashton Canal, the branch being shared with the mill's neighbour, Gray's Mill, Ancoats. Pollard Street passed between the NW end of the mill and the SE end of 'Pollard's Cotton Mill'. At the SE end of the mill site was Kennedy's large house and garden. Kennedy was James Kennedy, of James Kennedy and Co (Manchester). James Kennedy died on 14 April 1829, aged 56.

An illustration by Thomas Slack (c.1815?) shows the mill, having about six storeys, with Jonathan Pollard's mill alongside. Pollard's mill, although smaller, looked more imposing, being two storeys taller.

1849 The O.S. map shows Caledon Mill with some minor building extensions. Caledon House stands out as a curiosity, because property developers had constructed a grid of streets and terraced houses, in which Caledon House survived, set at a jaunty angle to the line of streets. One of these, Brown Street, had one third of its width occupied by the SE corner of Caledon House! The NW corner of the house was in close proximity to a coal wharf. In 1849 the house was being rented from the Kennedys at advantageous terms for use as the Manchester Model Lodging House for the labouring poor. '.... affording an amount of convenience, safety, and comfort, far superior to ordinary lodging-house accommodation; having, in addition to other advantages, a cold and warm bath, along with a spacious sitting-room, supplied with newspapers, the weekly charge being two shillings, or fourpence per single night. Beds were provided for about 80, but the number of occupants did not average more than 45, and consequently the income scarcely reached the various incidental expenses. Caledon House, although well adapted for the purpose in other respects, is in a situation to command only the attention of the working population confined to one limited district, a reason sufficiently potent to account for the absence of that more general support anticipated by the benevolent individuals interesting themselves so zealously in the undertaking. Nevertheless, the experiment was tried for two years, and having been found to give great satisfiation to those whose workshops were sufficiently near, the committee, wishful to continue advantages which they found gratefully acknowledged, selected, about three months ago, a situtition more in the centre of the class to accommodate which the institution was established. Their present locality is in the western extremity of the Borough Buildings, formerly a public-house, the furniture from Caledon House having been removed and fitted up in this building, ....'

1856 Advertisement: 'LAND, FIRE-PROOF MILLS, ENGINES, and SHAFTING.—TO BE SOLD, in one or more lots, CALEDON MILLS, Ancoats, with 260 horses' power, quite new.—Apply Mr. ROBERT A. KENNEDY, 61, King-street, Manchester'

1858 Sale Notice: 'To Capitalists, Cotton Spinners, Machine Makers, and others. By Mr. CAPES, at the Clarence Hotel, in Spring Gardens, Manchester, on Wednesday, the 23d. day of June, 1858, at six o'clock in the evening, subject to such conditions as will then and there be produced:
ALL that Well-arranged and most Substantial BUILDING, known as Caledon Mill, situate in Great Ancoats-street, in the city of Manchester, standing upon about 8,000 superficial square yards of freehold land, and late in the occupation of Messrs. James Kennedy and Co. The main building, which (with the exception the roofs) is fireproof, is in the form of a cross, having four wings, namely,—the old end, containing six rooms each, 170 feet by 44 feet; the new end, six rooms each, 170 feet by 55 feet; the front wing, seven rooms each, 45 feet by 45 feet; and tbe back wing, seven rooms each, 45 feet by 55 feet, and an attic. Tbe centre is occupied by overlookers' storerooms, the hoist, and principal staircase, from the latter of which there is access on every floor to the rooms in each wing. There is a separate staircase for the back wing, besides smaller ones in other parts of the building. There are numerous fireproof and other outbuildings, namely, engine and boiler houses, cotton waste mixing and blowing rooms, reeling, winding, warping, and store rooms, mechanics' shops, stable, cart shed, &c. The engines, boilers, gearing, pipes, &c. are equal to new, having had about £5,000 recently expended on them, and can now be worked at the lowest possible annual cost. The old end and front wing are driven by a condensing engine of 70 horses' nominal power, coupled with pair of high-pressure engines 1 horses' power. The new end and back wing are driven a confusing engine of 80 horses' power, coupled with a pair of high-pressure engines of ? horses' power. The condensing engines were made by Messrs. Boulton, Watt, and Co.; the high-pressure engines, boilers, and a large portion of the gearing by Mr. Goodfellow, of Hyde, who carried out all the recent improvements, and who can give every information respecting them; condensing water is obtained from the main-line ofthe Ashton Canal, and there is branch of the same by which coal is brought into the boiler house. Tbe buildings, being fire-proof, are peculiarly well adapted for subletting in separate tenancies. The property is subject to chief rent of £241 7s. 6d. and is also charge with the payment of an annuity of £160 during the life of a gentleman aged 60, and during the widowhood of his present wife, aged 49, in case she survive him ; and also to the payment of the sum of £4,000 on the determinationof the said annuity. These charges amount in effect to allowing £4,000 to remain on security of the premises, four per cent. — Further particulars may be obtained on application to the Auctioneer, at his office, No. 21, Princess-street; or Messrs. Slater, Heelis, and Co. solicitors, Princess-street; or Messrs. WORTHINGTON & EARLE, solicitors, Bond-street, Manchester.'

1864 Advertisement: 'TO RAILWAY & SHIPPING COMPANIES, MACHINISTS, &c.- J. BLAIR, of Caledon Mills, Manchester, is prepared to execute orders in White, Grey, and Coloured ENGINE WASTE, at reasonable prices, at the rate of ten tons a day on receipt of order.'

The 1915/1922 O.S. map shows that the mill, together with its neighbour, had gone, having been replaced by a large Midland Railway grain store, served by a single line crossing Great Ancoats Street from Ancoats Goods Station.

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