Mossley Industrial Heritage Centre opening times:
Wednesday to Saturday
2 pm - 4 pm
The entrance to the Heritage Centre is from the car park at the lower end of Longlands Mill, Queen Street.
Mossley Industrial Heritage Centre is a collaboration between Emmaus Mossley and Mossley Civic Society. For more information about the Mossley Civic Society, call 01457 832813.
How it started
Memories came flooding back when local residents were invited to look around inside Longlands Mill when it was bought by Emmaus 1996.
Some of the visitors had been workers in the same mill years before. The memories they brought back and the stories they had to tell were the inspiration for the development of the Industrial Heritage Centre. Mossley folk have gone through attics, photograph albums and memories to find things of interest.
What's on offer
The centre is only small but has a wealth of old photographs to browse through as well as a selection of artifacts from the town's cotton-spinning history.
Visitors are encouraged to come along and ask questions or contribute their own memories and help the centre to evolve. As more questions are asked, more answers are uncovered!
The baling machine in the Heritage Centre (photo, top left) is a preserved feature of the mill. Longlands Mill was built in 1871 for John Mayall and was part of one of the largest cotton spinning companies in the world. The mill buildings at one time stretched from Manchester Road down to the river.
Special Visitors
In October 2003, M. and Mme Dupont-Lhotelain paid a visit to the Heritage Centre (photo, bottom left). M. Dupont-Lhotelain had been managing director of Mossley Wool Combing and Spinning Company, which had occupied three of Mossley's mills and employed over 1000 people.
They presented the Centre with copies of the company's Golden Anniversary Book, 1932-82, which visitors can look through at the Centre.
Can you help?
If anyone is able to donate any photos or artifacts to the Heritage Centre, please call in or phone 01457 832813.
Please get in touch if you can spare a couple of hours each month to help man the Centre.