Little Green Dye Works

in Collyhurst, Manchester

1887 Serious fire at the Little Green Dye Works of John Walton, dyer, bleacher and finisher, at Collyhurst Old Road. There were two buildings, separated by a narrow lane, and the older one (60 years old) caught fire. This contained six boilers under pressure, and concern was raised about the danger of explosion when the walls fell upon them. The steam was released, causing great difficulty for the firemen's visibility and communication. 'The muddy Irk, which flows within a few yards of the building was for this once of some use to Mr Walton, for, by free use of its waters, the fire was confined to the block in which it broke out.'

In this 1934 aerial photograph, looking north, the course of the River Irk can be seen as a dark sinuous ribbon in the lower centre of the photo. Following the river upstream (northwards), it bears left, then right, then left again. The dye works is to the left of these bends. The tall chimney can be seen. The light-coloured patch is a reservoir. At the bottom of the photo is a footbridge with four arches, identified as the Collingham Street footbridge. See Collyhurst Footbridge and Barney's Steps. Immediately above and to the right of the bridge is a group of two-storey buildings. These are identified on the 1915 O.S. map as the Little Green Works (Packing Materials).

Note: This 1964 photograph shows, to the west of the River Irk, buildings occupied by Packaging Products Ltd (see Packaging Products Group) and Little Green Engineering Co Ltd.

In this 1964 photograph and this 1966 photograph we are looking over a weir, located where the River Irk makes a sharp RH turn to briefly head in a WNW direction. The dye works is on the right.

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