C2a-141a: Drawing Out The Threads Interview: David King
Item
- Identifier
- C2a-141a
- Title
- Drawing Out The Threads Interview: David King
- Type
- video
- Format
- video recording
- Date Created
- 2013
- Creator
- Harrison, Annie
- Description
-
One of a collection of 9 DVD discs with interviews by Annie Harrison for her project 'The Drawing out the Threads'. This disc contains interviews with local historian David King.
The interview provides a detailed account of the operations and work life at Salts mill, specifically focusing on the processes, the environment, and the eventual decline of the industry. - Associated person or organisation
- King, David
- Associated place or event
-
Salts Mill, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Source
- Harrison, Annie
- Rights
- Only viewable in the Saltaire Collection
- Rights Holder
- Copyright Annie Harrison
- Abstract
-
Wool Processing and Machinery
Several key stages of production are detailed:
-Scouring: Described as the 'worst operation' due to its hot, damp, and dirty nature, this involves washing raw wool in bowls of hot water, soda ash, and soap to remove grease and debris.
-Combing: After scouring and carding, wool is processed through a 'Noble combing machine'. This circular machine uses a series of pins to straighten fibers, preparing them for spinning and weaving.
-Pin Setting: A highly skilled manual job involving the precision straightening of thousands of pins within the combing rings.
-Weaving: The introduction of automatic 'Sulzer looms' significantly increased production speed. While older looms required one person for every four machines, the Sulzer looms allowed one operator to manage eight.
Work Study and Management
The interviewee worked in 'Management Services' (formerly called 'work study' or 'time and motion studies'). This role involved observing workers for hours to calculate the optimum number of machines an operator could handle while maintaining efficiency. Despite the increased efficiency of new machinery, no redundancies occurred at that time because the business was booming and additional shifts were added.
The Mill Environment and Saltaire Village
-The Mill Complex: Saltaire was unique because it handled the entire process 'from the sheep’s back to the shop'. The 'new mill' building is described as a tall structure of five or six stories near the canal.
-Underground Tunnels: A labyrinth of warm, well-lit passageways existed under the mill, originally designed by Titus Salt to house the belts that drove machinery. These tunnels allowed staff to move between buildings without going outside.
-The Water Hoist: An unusual feature in the spinning block used to lift heavy 'skips' (wicker baskets) of material to lorry level using water power.
-The Village: Built by Titus Salt, the village provided modern stone houses with gas and sewage for workers, as well as a church, hospital, and institute.
Industry Decline
By 1980, the industry began to decline due to foreign competition and changes in ownership, which eventually led to the closure of several sites as the textile industry in Bradford faded. The mill was inherited by Pamela Mason (ex-wife of actor James Mason) and later sold to Alan Lewis.
- Persistent address
- https://explore.saltairecollection.org/s/p/item/16792
- Item sets
- Saltaire Collection
Export
Catalogue data (excluding media) available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0) licence.