Details
SD 83 FE COLNE GREENFIELD ROAD
(South side)
1317/11/10148
Primet Foundry
II
Former textile loom manufactory, foundry and textile mill, now foundry and kitchen furniture manufactory and showroom. c.1850, with additions of 1861, 1880, 1895 and 1947. Complex, multi-component site bounded by Colne Water to the south , Greenfield Road to the north and Burnley Road to the east.
PLAN: Irregular linear plan, formerly arranged around 2 courtyards, and comprising 2 main ranges, east and west, which include former ENGINE HOUSE, BOILER HOUSE, CHIMNEYS, former MACHINE SHOP, SMITHY, MECHANICS SHOP, existing FOUNDRY and FOUNDRY EXTENSION, and former WEAVING SHEDS, ATTACHED OUTBUILDINGS AND OFFICE. Coursed rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings, with Welsh slate, stone slate and C20 profiled sheet roof coverings.
EAST RANGE, EAST ELEVATION. 4-storeyed ENGINE HOUSE with partially concealed semi-circular headed window to east face .Attached truncated tapering square CHIMNEY of 1852, extended 1895, with octagonal CHIMNEY of 1895 and extended BOILER HOUSE of brick and stone to the south-east corner of the site. Extending northwards, a 3 storey range of 12 bays, formerly single storeyed MACHINE SHOP of 1852, enlarged to form multi-storeyed building in 1880 and 1895 with stacked windows to all floors, now with C20 multi- paned frames.
SOUTH ELEVATION: 9-bay saw-tooth profile roof ed range of 3 storeys above a tall basement, the roofs with glazed eastern slopes. The elevation faces onto Colne Water, and its parallel ranges, extending east-west, link with the west (foundry ) range. This range, in common with the attached engine house has tall ground floor openings, smaller first floor windows and taller upper floor openings.
NORTH ELEVATION with wide gable of former machine shop to left and 3 smaller gables to 2 storey ranges to the right. Former open yard to rear of these ranges later converted to single storey smithy, with side wall hearths on east and north walls, now open again with one hearth canopy and chmney surviving. Former OFFICE, added in 1895, with wing extending westwards into foundry yard.
INTERIOR: Timber floor construction throughout, with substantial cross beams supported by slender cast-iron columns to ground floor and basement,with integral support flanges to their heads, and with thicker columns to later upper floor. The columns to the ground floor of the riverside range are extremely tall, one area with storage racks for patterns ,and another with grindstone wheelpits (similar to those found in grinding hulls in Sheffield), one with an in-situ grinding wheel.
WEST RANGE, comprised of FOUNDRY of 1861 and FOUNDRY EXTENSION of 1880, WEAVING SHED of 1895 and ATTACHED OUTBUILDINGS to the east. Wide foundry building aligned north- south , with full-length roof louvre with slated slopes. East side wall with full-heightopenings, many now blocked. Wide inserted double doorway to centre. West side wall, formerly with similar openings now enclosed by 1880 extension, aligned east- west. To the west of this, multi-roofed north light weaving shed extends north-south to the Greenfield Road frontage. Single storey and 2-storey outbuildings form street frontage range, extending eastwards to end at entrance to foundry yard.
INTERIOR: 10 bay roof sructure with massive tie beams giving uninterrupted foundry interior. Queen post roof trusses with collars and angled struts support 5 purlins and the louvre superstructure. Former cupola to north-west corner, within recess entered via a wide opening carried on flanged metal beams supported by casr -iron columns. Ceiling to cupola area carried on web of metal beams, and beyond this area, 2 arched openings to rear of cupola recess.
HISTORY: The loomworks, foundry and mill were established by J.Pilling and Sons. The business was established in 1819, and moved to Primet Bridge in the 1850's. The business reached the peak of its prosperity in the 1ate C19,but continued to manufacture looms until 1974.
The foundry was operational at the time of inspection (June 1999).
A loom manufactory, foundry and textile mill forming components of an integrated site where looms were assembled and tested, where timber components were machined and metal castings produced and finished. This near-complete and rare survival represents an important and often overlooked aspect of the textile industry- the manufacture of textile weaving and spinning machinery.
Listing NGR: SD8800039650
