Macintosh Mill, Manchester

by Ian Miller

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The origins of the mackintosh - the well-known waterproof garment - may be traced to the early 19th century, when the Scottish chemist and inventor Charles Macintosh patented a process to soften India rubber. Macintosh had discovered that soaking it in a bath of naphtha (a waste product of gasworks) rendered the rubber malleable, and made it possible to work. In 1823 Macintosh established a small business in Glasgow, where he hoped to coat textiles in rubber solution to produce a waterproof cloth.

The following year, Macintosh entered into a partnership with HH and Joseph Birley. The Birleys owned a large complex of cotton mills within the Chorlton-upon-Medlock area of Manchester, and agreed to build Macintosh a new factory to produce rubberised cloth adjacent to their works. However, the Birleys were suspicious of this new rubber-making technology and designed Macintosh’s mill so that it could be adapted into another cotton mill should the venture prove unsuccessful.

However, the process was not without its drawbacks. The fundamental problem was that the rubber Construction of the began in 1824, and it was completed by mid-1825. It was powered by a 20hp side-lever steam engine provided by the leading steam engine manufacturers, Boulton and Watt. Initially the mill was not a huge success, partly as a result of a serious economic slump in 1825, and partly because methods of applying the rubber solution to the cloth were experimented with for some time. The final version used a roller to apply the solution, which it picked up from a trough, and then a separate revolving spiral brush to spread the coating evenly, followed by a cloth-covered ‘smoothing roller’. The cloth was then carried over a steam chest to evaporate the solvent, and was then calendered together between large rollers. It seems that it took several years to perfect the process, and it was not until 1832 that the mill was put into full production as the world’s first commercial rubber factory.

However, the process was not without its drawbacks. The fundamental problem was that the rubber produced by combination with naphtha remained liable to melt and stiffen with changes in temperature. Consequently, Macintosh’s waterproof cloth did not become popular amongst the fashionable classes, although a large market existed within the armed forces and the merchant navy.

produced by combination with naphtha remained liable to melt and stiffen with changes in temperature. Consequently, Macintosh’s waterproof cloth did not become popular amongst the fashionable classes, although a large market existed within the armed forces and the merchant navy.

Following Macintosh’s death in 1843, the works was run by Thomas Hancock, who had been a company partner since the early 1830s. In 1844 Hancock patented a new process of rubber production called vulcanisation, which had actually been discovered by Charles Goodyear in America. This involved subjecting rubber to sulphur and steam. The result was a substance that wasn't affected by weather, and which would snap back to its original form if stretched. This new rubber was resistant to water and chemical interactions and did not conduct electricity, so it was suited for a variety of products. The process of making the rubber product improved as time went by, and now various chemicals are added before the mix is poured into moulds, heated and cured under pressure.

The new process was hugely successful, and led to a proliferation of rubber products; the works was soon producing waterproof fabrics and garments including carriage rugs, knee wrappers, knapsacks, saddle bags, gun covers, fishing trousers, air and water beds, pillows, cushions, life belts, swimming collars, portable baths, cart and waggon sheets, horse covers, military and naval equipment, elastic bands and erasing rubbers. This success also resulted in an expansion of the works; by 1850 the works comprised three mills, a warehouse, a vulcan house, calender sheds, and gas holders. Ironically, during the 1860s, there was a decline in cotton spinning in the area, and some of Birley’s mills were converted to rubber production as this was more profitable. The complete works appear on a contemporary engraving of the site, which was first published in 1889.

The works was taken over by the Dunlop Company in 1923, and the manufacture of rubber products continued on the site until February 2000, although the original mill was destroyed in 1940 as a result of bombing raids.

The works has been earmarked recently for redevelopment. As part of a private sector regeneration project for the area, known as the Southern Gateway, the works is to be converted for mixed residential and light commercial use. In order to secure archaeological interests, Oxford Archaeology North carried out an archaeological excavation of the original mill in advance of redevelopment. This exposed the foundations of the mill, including the flue from the boiler house to the base of the chimney. The huge stones that provided a solid base for the steam engine were also exposed, and are seen on the left of the photograph.

The archaeological work was undertaken at the request of CgMs Consulting, acting on behalf of Taylor Woodrow Capital Developments.