Piccadilly Mill, also known as Bank Top Mill [1] or Drinkwater's Mill, owned by Peter Drinkwater, was the first cotton mill in Manchester, England, [2] to be directly powered by a steam engine, [3] and the 10th such mill in the world. [1] Construction of the four-storey mill on Auburn Street started in 1789 [3] and its 8 hp Boulton and Watt engine was installed and working by 1 May 1790. [4] Initially the engine drove only the preparatory equipment and spinning was done manually. [5] The mill-wright was Thomas Lowe, who had worked for William Fairbairn and helped with the planning two of Arkwright's earliest factories. [6]
During the early 1790s the mill employed around 500 workers. [4] Robert Owen was employed as the manager in 1792. [5]
Piccadilly Mill, also known as Bank Top Mill [1] or Drinkwater's Mill, owned by Peter Drinkwater, was the first cotton mill in Manchester, England, [2] to be directly powered by a steam engine, [3] and the 10th such mill in the world. [1] Construction of the four-storey mill on Auburn Street started in 1789 [3] and its 8 hp Boulton and Watt engine was installed and working by 1 May 1790. [4] Initially the engine drove only the preparatory equipment and spinning was done manually. [5] The mill-wright was Thomas Lowe, who had worked for William Fairbairn and helped with the planning two of Arkwright's earliest factories. [6]
During the early 1790s the mill employed around 500 workers. [4] Robert Owen was employed as the manager in 1792. [5]