Lancashire Lantern
Lancashire Lantern: Lancashire Pioneers
Part of the Lancashire Lantern network, the Pioneers gives details of people who were famous local people in science, technology and innovation. These pioneers were either born in Lancashire or their endeavours made a significant contribution to the development of the County.
David Whitehead - The Whitehead mills
Fire at Higher Mill
David Whitehead writes about the fire in his diary:
"Early this morning [October 30th 1841, Sunday, the very day that the Tower of London burnt down], there came a most tremendous rapping at our door, Holly Mount, and a shout, "The mill's on fire!"
I jumped out of bed and looked through the window, and saw our Higher Mill was on fire. ..
A water engine was soon got to the place, and another two arrived soon after, And with other assistance they saved the steam engine and the warehouse, and a part of the machinery but the mill was burnt down.
The loss [of the mill] to the people was very great...when trade was so bad, so many mills shut up, others working part time...so we made our minds to get some more machinery into the Lower Mill and get our workpeople into work again as soon as we could"
"The autobiography of David Whitehead of Rawtenstall", published by Helmshore Local History Society, 2001. page 126 -127.
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