Andrew Knowles and Sons
of Pendlebury, near Manchester
Robert Knowles ( -1780) started pits in Eagley Bank and Sharples, north of Bolton.
The pits were inherited by Robert's descendants, Andrew (1735-1810), Robert (1756-1819) and Andrew (1783-1847).
Little Bolton Colliery in Bolton was owned by the company between 1853 and 1863.
1873 The company was registered on 12 December, to take over the colliery properties of the firm of this name. [1]
1883 Became Andrew Knowles and Sons Limited. The firm grew to be the largest on the Manchester Coalfield by the end of the 19th century when it had almost 4,000 employees.
The company sank the first Agecroft Colliery which operated until 1928.
1896 the company owned Clifton Hall Colliery, Foggs Colliery, Pendlebury Colliery and Pendleton Colliery.
1900 'Remarkable Engineering Feat.—The new colliery of Messrs. Andrew Knowles and Sons (Limited), at Agecroft, near Manchester, which is the deepest but one in England, the shafts piercing a perpendicular of 725 yards, has been the scene of a wonderful engineering feat, three large boilers supplied by Messrs. Galloway, of Manchester, having been got down the shafts complete and ready for fixing. This is the first occasion in connection with colliery development that such a task has been accomplished, the boilers having previously been sent into the mines pieces and fitted below. Another feature of the new pits will be that the haulage arrangements below will be worked by compressed air, and 10in. pipes down the shafts for that purpose are now being fixed. The new pits will find employment for 400 miners.'[2]
1927 See Aberconway Chapter VII for information on the company and its history.
1929 Became part of Manchester Collieries
See Also
Sources of Information
- Wikipedia [1]