W.T.Taylor & Co. Ltd
In the year 1904 W.T.Taylor (1848-1925) founded a firm in Horwich in the north of England. With 1,200 looms it was at one time the largest maker of towels in the British Empire and second in the world only to a firm in the US. The company brand name was Wavecrest. W.T.Taylor & Company Limited remained independent until 1970 when it was taken over by the Spirella Group and became Stott & Smith with the Chortex brand name. W.T.Taylor (pictured) was my great grandfather. The picture is a watercolour portrait which was for many decades displayed on the office wall at Victoria Mill, the company's main premises, in Horwich. According to Keith Taylor, my second cousin and also a great grandson of W.T.Taylor, the painting was thrown into a skip when Spirella took over, and it was purely by chance that he came across it and was able to rescue it for posterity.
W.T.Taylor's son, John Taylor (my grandfather), joined the business as company salesman and became Joint Managing Director with his brother Harry Taylor when W.T.Taylor died in 1925. My father Kenneth Taylor joined W.T.Taylor & Co. Ltd soon after the Second World War and later became Managing Director.
The demolition of Victoria Mill, Horwich
Victoria Mill remains in business to this day (not any more – read the 4th response below) following a fairly recent management buyout, though employs only a small fraction of the number of people who worked there in its heyday. The last connection between the Taylor family and Chortex (as the company is now called) is that my father (87) used to attend the Victoria Mill pensioners Christmas party every year.
The Stott & Smith name goes back even further than W.T.Taylor, having started in Manchester in 1892 (Tom Stott and Alfred Smith, agents at first, then manufacturers in Congleton). The Chortex brand name comes from a Chorley textiles company, E.H.Cooper.
Related articles: (i) W.T.Taylor & Co. Ltd, (ii) Honest Bill's Mill, and (iii) A speech by Alfred Holt.
I was searching for details of W.T.T & Co, silversmiths, when I came across this site. I'm delighted that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the history of your family company and wish you all continued sucess in your chosen fields. I still haven't been able to find anything out about the silversmith though!!
Lynne, many thanks for your comments, and good luck in your quest for the silversmith.
A1 website, amazing detail about W.T. Taylor, please pass my best regards to Keith.
The photo above was taken by me, great grandson of W.T.Taylor, on July 24th, 2007. Victoria Mill is more or less demolished. Towel manufacturing in Horwich has obviously ended.
Paul – good website about Rivington. See pictures of Rivington Pike and will mention to Keith.
I was searching for Stott and Smith Limited located in Manchester just for a trade inquiry and I stumbled upon this page. It is great to read the information about W.T.Taylor & his company and equally sad to read such a big company has come to an end.
I worked as a weaver at Taylors for 30 years, very happy years. It is heartbreaking to see them pulling it down. I remember your father very well and used to see him walking up Rivington a lot. We were one big happy family from the offices down to the sheds. Started on the lancashires then the automatics then ended up running 10 looms. I did the training and the first aid and the health and safety and for some time the union too. Saw many changes over the years but made many friends. We all miss the mill. It was nice reading your site. It brings back lots of happy memories.
I was talking to one of the weavers and she said they can tear the mill down but can't take our memories away. So true. Give my love to your father. Last time I saw him he was on Chorley New Road near Beaumont Electrics. Not seen him for a while.
There are many of the old mill workers that feel the same as we do. If you look at the number of years that most of the workers stayed working there you would find most were 20 years or more. Remember the Carr brothers? Your father would. All started as school leavers and stayed till they retired.
Thank you. Take care. Glenys Robinson.
realy would like some pictures of the mill when everything was still going. i worked in the weaving shed for 11 years best years of my life working there. its realy sad to see it being pulled down what super memories i have & all the workers i miss. well i realy hope someone out there has got some pictures of the mill inside & out. please send them to me to rob1_971@msn.com thankyou.
My father does remember the Carr brothers. There were three, all 'twisters'. For the record, the job of 'twisters' was knotting the old warps to the new ones (I hope that's correct).
any one out there knows the where a bouts of colin walley.work in the maintenance. fitter
I worked there as a weaver in the early 1970s, I remember the Saurer Looms with the top and bottom beams, the Jacquard machines. Only just found out about the factories demolition.
I worked at Vic Mill for 15 years, would like to make contact with anyone that remembers me. (I left the mill in 1972 to emigrate to Australia) i will be happy for my email addy cmaguire1@optusnet.com.au to be published to allow people to make contact!
i worked at vic mill in the eighties. i was a maintenance fitter. i was there for aight years. very sad to see it gone.
I met an old friend the other day, like me, he also worked at the mill, this was back in the early 70s. We got reminiscing, as you often do. During the course of our conversation, the subject of shift managers came up. The names of Jack Horsley and Jack Ramsden sprung to mind, it's quite probable that they were overlookers before achieving managerial positions. It'd be nice to know who the other shift managers were, I couldn't remember the names of any others, except one of them, might have been called Geoff (Jeff?)
My father (Mr Kenneth) does remember both Jack Horsley, who he thinks was warehouse manager, and Jack Ramsden, who he thinks was a tackler, but at 91 he isn't too sure. Sorry David, but he can't remember who the shift managers were.
Further to the Stott and Smith name, they had a mill in Congleton in Cheshire. It made towelling on jacquard looms, I worked there as a weaver on the looms in 1961. My pay was £5-10-0 a week.
Employed at Chortex on and off for 9years in the maintenance dept.as a electrician mainly on nightshift, previously employed at Bickershaw Colliery and others for 34yrs. couldnt have worked in a more friendly enviroment, loved it, prior to redundantcy in January 2000 i made a video recording and recently converted to Digital approx. 1hr on nightshift only , of the inside of Chortex Mill, it was my first attempt, mistakes on the talkover was made and still in its uncut state , with further work required to complete, dont know if any other attempts have been made .
FRANK BROWN
worked in the weaving shed for chortex about 13 to 14 years first has a card cutter then has an overlooker and finally in the slashing room loved every minute of it good set of lads and ladies some people say you dont know what youve got till its gone its not there anymore but we ve still got our memories
I am searching for Keith and Marie. Very concerned I haven't heard from them this Christmas having made contact with each other for the last 20 years or so. Have tried ringing the Fall Birch Road number and it has not been recognised. If you could throw any light on it, we would be very appreciative. Many thanks. Norma.
Norma, I'll try to find Keith's current phone number and send it to you via email, if that's ok. I believe they are both well.
I have a photograph of the criket team of " Empire Mills Winners 1921. " I can only presume that this team were workers from the Congleton Factory. the backdrop looks like an entrance to the works. Sadley there is no caption save the name as described above. I suspect that one or more of my Gt Uncles are shown. As the e-mail address of this site is not shown I am unable to send an attachment. If the owner of the site wishes to contact me I would be only too pleased to share this photograph.
Martin Tomlinson
Many thanks. I've now received your correct email address and will reply by email.
most of my family worked at victoria mill .my father tony edwards worked there as a driver. my grandfather tom edwards was the transport manager who has sadly passed away and my grandmother edna was a well known face and character from what other workers have told me.i remember going around the mill with my grandad as a boy when he was on security at weekends. horwich isnt the same place without the mill. does not seem right going down chorley new road and seeing houses on the old site.
The Stott & Smith cricket team at Empire Mills, Congleton, in 1921. Many thanks to Martin Tomlinson, who sent me the photo.
My late Mother Margaret Wooff worked there when I was a kid. She used to do the 6-2, 2-10 shift. Funny that Wooff is actually a weaving name. My wife also worked there (also Margaret, she worked in production control I think back in the late 80's). We lived at the bottom house in Armstrong St In around 1969/70 so it was quite common to have be woken up when they dropped all the stuff out of the foundry furnace (or whatever it was they did I remember it was quite loud!).
glad they pulled it down a blot on the landscape. horwich is finished,
An empty mill may be a blot on the landscape but in its time Victoria Mill meant employment in Horwich, along with the loco works. Now they're all down at Middlebrook.
Nice to see more of my workmates have been on the site. Weaving managers Geoff Berry, sadley now suffering from Parkinsons and there was John Baily, boomerang Baily his response was I will get back to you.
The Edwards drove the mill bus and when I lived in Church St. Haigh used to come up the street at 5 am and wait under my window if I was a little late.
Arthur Carr died a few years ago and Tommy is now in a nursing home.
Linda Garner (nee Jolley) on the Sulzer looms, who with Glenys Robinson ran 10 the full length of the weaving shed. Linda is from Blackrod and worked at the mill for about 20 years. Thanks to Glenys for the photo.
Hi David. Jack Horsley, Jack Ramsden and Jeff Berry were all overlookers on the Saurer Looms in the late sixties, I left in 1972 and I think that Jack Ramsden had just been promoted to shed Manager (May be wrong on thisun!.)
I did a video in MPEG format aprox. 10.4meg lasting just over 1 min. JAN.2000 for starters 0f 1 of the last looms , i see there is no provision on the site to add as an additional file , any ideas as the video clip can bring back memories in the weaving shed .
FRANK
I would like to find Colin Whally, David Place, Ernie Green, or anyone who remembers me. I worked there in the seventies as a maintenance fitter. Good days they were. Thanks and hope you can help. My email is t24122246@yahoo.co.uk