THE WORLD’S LARGEST TEXTILE MILL ENGINE STILL STEAMING

n 1890, at a time when the Lancashire cotton industry was thriving and rapidly expanding, one of the many new spinning mills being promoted across Lancashire was at New Hey near Rochdale by the Ellenroad Spinning Co Ltd. Ellenroad Mill was completed in 1892 and was designed for 121,850 mule spindles powered by a large horizontal twin tandem triple expansion engine built locally by J & W McNaught, one of Rochdale’s leading engine-makers who supplied mill engines to many mills locally and further afield. The engine was designed to develop 1800 indicated horse power (ihp) and had four cylinders of 24½in, 28½in and 43½in (2) diameter x 6ft 0in