This film is part of Free
Power behind the Spindle
A last look at the mighty steam engines that once powered Lancashire's mills.
Documentary 1969 22 mins
Overview
swSteam once powered the great textile mills - but times are changing. Courtaulds in Essex is electrifying, and there are some sad scenes for enginemen as the mighty engines are dismantled and the power houses hum to a new sound. Mr Harrop, Courtaulds' fuel and power engineer, recalls his younger days as a man of steam, wrestling with double-acting pumps, inlet valves, high pressure cylinders and evaporation.
Subjects
Related
Textiles on Film
Caefelin Laundry, Llangollen
Home movie 1937 20 mins Silent Location: Llangollen
Nellie Boote's laundry in Market Street in operation, the women dashing away with all manner of smoothing irons as clothes are sorted, mended, washed, ironed and sorted again.
Woven by Hand
Documentary 1970 11 mins Location: Macclesfield
Handloom weaving, and its place in the history of textile production.
Textile Factory in Redruth
News 1975 1 mins Location: Redruth
Redruth Cottage Industry
Miniskirts
News 1966 4 mins Location: Plymouth
Miniskirt - Passion and Power
Electricity - Power for Good
Promotional 1961 35 mins Location: Whitby
The NEEB sells an electrical future for modern homes and industries in the 1960s.
Lancashire Pride
Documentary 1950 58 mins Location: Wycoller
The looms of Lancashire: how the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution created the thriving textile industry.
Oldham
Lancashire's Time for Adventure
1948 21 mins Silent Location: Oldham
"Britain's bread hangs by Lancashire's thread" – cotton, Britain's great post-war hope.
The George Saxon Engine, Magnet Mill
Documentary 1969 7 mins Location: Chadderton
See how steam powered the textile industry of Lancashire.
Platt's Lap Converter
Promotional 1951 13 mins Location: Oldham
Forget the carding machine - you need a lap convertor. Puzzled? Find out more here.
Out and About with the Collin Family
Home movie 1950 15 mins Silent Location: Blackpool
The Collin family of Chadderton, Oldham, enjoy life to the full.
Street Processions in Oldham
Non-Fiction 1964 14 mins Silent Location: Oldham
Whatever the weather, the procession will go on in this Lancashire town.
Oldham Mayoral Procession
Non-Fiction 1955 4 mins Silent Location: Oldham
The mayoral procession and a day of civic pride in Oldham.
New
Grounded on the Platters: HMS Conway
Home movie 1953 7 mins Silent Location: Anglesey/Ynysmôn
A sorry end to any ship: timings, tide and wind played their part in pushing HMS Conway onto the Platters rocks in the Menai Strait on 14/4/1953.
Exeter Real Ale Festival
News 1975 3 mins Location: Exeter
The wet and warm ale goes down a treat as aficionados gather to celebrate real ale.
Llanddwyn Island
Home movie 1955 8 mins Silent Location: Llanddwyn Island/Ynys Llanddwyn
Sea pinks and samphire, lighthouses and church ruins – Llanddwyn’s charms are many and varied.
Cuddle Coat
News 1979 2 mins Location: Plymouth
Experimentation with a coat for two leaves couples with really no escape.
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music
News 1970 2 mins Location: Shepton Mallet
Progressive gathering of festival goers hits the blues.
Dawson: Lower Penn Show
Home movie 1954 4 mins Silent Location: Lower Penn
Another blustery summer day in the 1950s and it's Lower Penn's carnival parade.