Textiles on Film: Preston's cotton industry

Admire the industrious, nimble-fingered cotton workers at the monumental Horrockses, Crewdson & Co cotton factory in the film Cotton Industry, Preston (1920).
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Acrobat turned filmmaker Will Onda turned out over a 100 films documenting his own family’s events and holidays He also his hometown, Preston, Lancashire, in the early part of the 20th century. After swiftly covering King George V and Queen Mary’s visit to the town the film moves on to its main subject, Preston’s cotton industry, in particular the monumental Horrockses, Crewdson & Co cotton factory on Stanley St.
As well as the classic factory gate scenes popularised in the Edwardian era, Onda ventures inside Horrokses to showcase the industrious, nimble-fingered Prestonians at work inside. John Horrocks set up the textile company in 1791. It manufactured cotton goods that were sold all over the world for over 150 years. The vast works, known locally as ‘The Yellow Factory’, was demolished in the 1960s and 70s. As well as making films, entrepreneurial Will Onda ran a number of cinemas, a theatre and a dance hall. He also set up the Preston Film Service to import and distribute films to cinemas.
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[@BLzBob.7268]

There's a good chance I could be related to some of these people. All my family at this time lived in Preston, and many (according to the census') worked in the mills over a 100 yrs ago. Very emotive to see this.

[@frontier_conflict]

My grandma , great Granma , dad, grandad all worked in the Preston Mills

[@A._150]

I did too. I worked at Hartford mill off Ribbleton lane and Hawkins mill in Gordon Street just off Acquedect Street in 1964. I remember when I was a child in the 1950s my eldest sister worked at Horrockses mill on New Hall lane and she also worked at Paul Catterells mill off North Rd. I can remember all the old mills in Preston. There was one called Old Lees on Old Lancaster Lane and Arkwrights mill off Brook Street, also I remember John Barnes mill off Miller Road and Tulketh Mill in Ashton. There was around 60 cotton mills in Preston when I was a child. There were a lot of factories in Preston aswell as Cotton mills. Berry's slipper works on Fylde Rd, Gold thread works on Cross Street. Dorman Smiths that made nuts and bolts in Ashton. Courtaulds at Red Scar. Wilkinsons pop works off Meadow Street, Batesons brewery near St Pauls Road. Bond mini cars in Ribbleton All gone now. The end of an era.

[@TheAndo60]

Why would anyone give this brilliant footage a thumbs down ??

[@plester3257]

Luddites

[@marcv2648]

Only white people in the film.

[@harrisonosirrah]

The videos you upload are pure gold.

[@poppygirl76]

This was 100 years ago. In 100 years' time, this era, all of us, will seem as old-fashioned and far away as these people do to us today.

[@mothball5425]

My mum still has some Horrockses sheets

[@willowvc1910]

My great aunties and gran worked at tulketh mill in Preston X

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

You only reap what you sow- said by a anonymous cotton mill owner, during the hight of the industrial revolution one English town could produce as much cotton as France and Germany combined.

[@paulking6220]

My Great Grandma Ada Whewell/Haydock and all that side of the family for generations worked in the Preston cotton mills. I wonder if any of these people are my related to me.

[@georginamahoney649]

Absolutely amazing ❤ wonderful

[@annemariecandyflip6531]

Did anyone read the book of the British Robert Blincoe? He came as an ophan from a London workhouse into a cotton mill in Derbyshire at age 7.......he wrote about his life over there; it was harsh and very unhealthy, starting as a kid scavenger and later he owned a mill himself. He was disabled for life since he had to do such a rotten job from early age on. I can recommend this book to every one!

[@rgwholt]

This is earlier than 1920 definitely, judging by the clothing, pre first war

[@annemariecandyflip6531]

And....the women all seem to be happy, good looking and healthy..........still.....guess what it was like 100 years before that......

[@jordanhieber1]

Hello, I'm creating a documentary. Could I use this footage?

[@1stHuemanAmerican]

That Albino looks sleepy 😂

[@bruceburns1672]

Then it was japan with slave labor rates until they run out of people and wages rose , now it is China with slave labor rates and a lot more people till they run out but all the signs are there and the days of flooding the world are coming to an end but then we still have India to go and then Africa , so you can basically forget about bringing manufacturing jobs back unless we have machinery that basically employs no people ,they call it digital manufacturing , there has been a bit of manufacturing returning to the US lately as costs rise in China .

[@318ski]

shut up, you maig.

[@carolyngair7051]

The kids all stopping to mug for camera are adorable. And identically dressed. And then it occurred to me... is this child labor? I guess so! Labor laws didn't change until after 1924. I wonder if the kids preferred this to school...?

[@joelaw5207]

Old footage Always looks Grim. They always look like they haven't a pot to piss in. 😀

[@MStevenson-nl8we]

Most of the time they didn't