ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE

1. ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE It is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines.

2. The introduction of the factory system in the 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution (1750-1850), changed Ashton from a market town to a mill town. Having previously been one of the two main towns in the Tame Valley, Ashton-under-Lyne became one of the "most famous mill towns in the North West". Ashton became a mill town at the centre of a network of canals and railways. From 1773 to 1905, 75 cotton mills were established in the town. Ashton Canal at Ashton-under-Lyne Tudor Cotton Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne, 1921

3. The use of steam power required coal as a source of fuel. Ashton, in common with other towns around the north and east of Manchester, was well-situated for this, with plenty of coal being available from pits around the town. Although Ashton Moss pit produced 150,000 tons of coal a year in the early 1950s and employed over 500 men, Ashton Moss colliery closed in 1959 and part of its site is now the Snipe Retail Park on the boundary with Audenshaw.

4. After the First World War, competition from Japan and India began to affect demand for local cotton products. During the 1920s and 30s, 16 mills closed in Ashton. Several mills were closed during the Second World War, although most re-opened afterwards. By around 1950, the number of spindles in Ashton had dropped to three quarters of a million and the number of cotton workers to about 3,500. Egret Mill, Old Street - built in 1823, one of the oldest surviving mill buildings in Ashton. An adjoining spinning block was destroyed by fire in 1881 and replaced by weaving sheds.