The Fylde & Wyre Antiquarian

I have just found these photos among a elderly neighbour's box of memories.





Probably taken in the 50s or 60s, these show the mill in its final state. It was established bythe Birley family who became the leading flax manufacturers in the town and on first settling here, John Birley traded with the West Indies, his firm being known as Birley and Alker, West Indian Merchants, and the goods were shipped from the small port of Wardleys on the right bank of the Wyre. However, after his marriage with Elizabeth Shepherd, the firm became known as Langton, Shepherd and Birley and it was John Langton in this partnership who helped to set up the flax mill at the west end of the Choice Meadow between 1730 and 1750, but after that in 1766 the young John Birley separated from this partnership and continued In business on his own making more extensions to the mill. By 1876 the flax mill of Messrs Birley and Sons was by far the largest in the area of Kirkham and Wesham and employed 1600 people.
Cottages were specially built for mill workers in Mill Street which became known as the Irish quarter of the town, and in both Preston and Poulton Street cottages were specially built for hand-loom weavers who sold their work to Messrs John Birley and Sons, The company produced sail cloth for the Royal Navy and traded in Russian merchandise as well as being dealers in produce of the Baltic Countries, again using Wardleys wharfs. It is generally accepted that the majority of the sails in Nelsons fleet were produced in Kirkham and Freckleton

Industrial archaeology is another side I'm into (have to be, owning Velocettes).The engine at the mill was a rare one in some way I seem to remember. I will see if I can find some details of it, meanwhile here is how it ended up.