The Demolition of Hartford Mill. Oldham
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- In this video we take a look at Hartford Mill Chadderton Oldham. This Victorian Edwardian cotton mill is currently being demolished. I made a video here in 2018 and urban explored (Urbex) the place. Now the demolition team have moved in with a high reach grab and started its destruction. the destruction of another of the famous Lancashire cotton mills. We have some drone footage of before and after the demolition begins and the difference is stark. the cotton mill has now nearly all gone. This abandoned building was very dangerous for a long time and became a blight to local people.
What a terrible shame to bring down such a beautiful building. That was so incredibly sad. Your footage was absolutely brilliant. Thanks so much for taking me along
It's mostly all gone now the only thing left is the chimney which is being demolished at the end of this month I think
Such a shame
@@lindamccaughey8800 I know
It's quite moving watching an old mill being destroyed when you think of all the hard work that was put into putting it up in the first place. Those machines make the builder look so fragile as they knock those pillars down like match sticks.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks David, yeah that high reach claw is ruthless
Yeah, constructions seems to be quite week, maybe years of corrosion did the job to steel structure. imagine how powerful will be wrecking ball used here - i'm sure that good skilled operator will knock building down in one or two days. Someone like Herr Luff with his Menck M250 , see here th-cam.com/video/RysDc_WA_BA/w-d-xo.html how destructible to brickwork building this method is. Besides, sad to look this mill demolished. Same situation we have in Poland - there is a city of Lodz, called "Polish Manchester" with many mills from late eightees, most of them now demolished.only a few survived.
Martin, you're a legend. I wish there was more like you in every major city exploring their history. Keep up the good work. It's a great distraction in these times..
Thanks very much
We can no longer actually build large buildings in brick today as it's too labour intensive and expensive, Britain used to be represented by it's brick architecture, it's Something that we USED to be able to do on a grande scale and architects used to get excited by using it. Now it's landfill, how sad is that !
Stephanie Murray I'm still trying to find out who built star forts fascinating designs 👍
Stephanie Murray, that's not entirely true. Have you seen the rebuilding work that's been done at St Pancras Station in London? It is magnificent. There are still master builders who work with brick. However, you are right to say they are becoming rare. Most of Hartford Mill will be recylced, according to legal requirements, which means whatever they build on the site, the hardcore will very likely be the bricks from the old mill.
tardis mole who built the Vatican and cathedrals of this place
Fascinating aerial photo at 19:25 of the mill in operation (chimney smoking), closely surrounded by tightly packed workers housing. They didn’t have far to trudge. Did Britain have child labor laws at this time? I wonder if they were working two shifts or three? It’s an interesting juxtaposition, we can respect and admire the architecture and engineering of that era, but we also have to remember what a hard laborious life it was back then.
@@jayh9529 Sorry. Not seeing a connection. The Vatican is in Italy and is made of stone, not brick.
The Demolition team can thank the magnificent Victorian engineers for the difficulty of their job! Great stuff Martin!
Yep, it put up a fight
What ashame they destroyed such an amazing building. I love the art deco lettering "Hartford" its beautiful!
❤💛💚
Yeah the tower stands tall and defiant
Dread to think what they will put in its place !
@@t_ruth555 I'm sure they'll have a gypsum palace of cocktail sticks and plasterboard lined up to fit hundreds of people in :(
Too bad Fred Dibnahs no longer around, a mill demolition just doesn't seem complete without him
At least he was sympathetic
Fred would have done a much better job.
And he would’ve done it for £500!!
RMLectronics UK £500 and a pint lol
There’s not a person on this earth that is half the man Fred was.
Sad , very sad . What took hundreds of skilled labourers to create only takes a few 20th Century labourers to destroy . Glad you were able to video this before it was pulled down . Cheers . /SRK
I really like the fact, that you do follow up vlogs on different locations! Instead of just leaving ppl wondering - Thank you.
It's always a shame to see great architecture turned to rubble! The intricacies of the brick work on the stairwell tower, that took true craftsmen to build....
Yeah it was very artistically built Simon
It's absolutely heart breaking seeing this iconic building go to rubble, to the men who built this amazing building hope they not turning in there graves 😞, absolutely brilliant video martin AGAIN haha great footage thank you for showing us mucka 👍 👍
I know, I have been dreading seeing it go to be honest
It’ll all come again, in the next “Big Bang” and we’ll be back to where we started! Everything material can be reduced to dust. And it will be. In time.
I know you can't keep ALL of these buildings, but it's still a shame when they go.
The ghosts of all those who worked there over the decades, seeing this😥
you prolly dont give a shit but does anybody know a tool to log back into an Instagram account..?
I somehow forgot the password. I would love any tips you can give me!
Oh the irony of it. Korean equipment destroying a building which earned so much foreign currency from its exports. A sign of the decline of the British manufacturing industry.
Thats true Jacqueline well spotted
Agree with the general sentiment but the British cotton industry relied on slave labour and imperialism in order to be profitable and went into steep decline after the first world war.
I was working my way around the cotton mills in Rochdale in 1967-8. That was when the decline set in. Number Two weaving shed at Higham"s Mill, Sudden, closed down. I was talking to the manager as we looked at the 120 silent looms.. He said the looms had to go because he couldn"t make the plain unbleached calico cheaper than he could buy it from India. The looms were fascinating pieces of machinery, cast metal with the manufacturer"s name Mather & Platt 1925 in relief on the sides of the frames. "So all these machines will be scrapped?" I asked him. "Oh, no, I"ve sold them to India,"
That night I stood at a bar looking into my beer, shaking my head.
@@volunteerteacherthailand7477 Very interesting. It was an unsustainable model, though, grow cotton, ship it to mcr to be spun, ship it back
Not just British manufacturing - this is happening throughout all countries in the West. In the crazy race for profit we have demolished a lot of our heavy industry.
It's really a shame that we aren't doing more to preserve at least some of these buildings. They're monuments to a very different time and a very different way of life. Not to mention, of course, a very different architectural style.
Nothing can make "self isolating" more palatable than watching one of your videos Martin. Thanks for uploading so quickly!
Very interesting and enjoyable video. Such a shame so many mills have been lost.
Your filming and dialogue is first class.
I remember many years ago watching Fred and his team bringing down a chimney in Chadderton.
Thank you Margaret
My Grandparents used to live on Denton Lane (202) and when seeing Hartford Mill from the bus as a kid, I knew we were nearly there. Sad to watch it go but a brilliant video!. Thanks for sharing ✌🏻❤️
Thanks Simon
I see also the mix of sadness yet thrill at seeing a big structure coming down. Excellent work guys!
Cheers Andrew
Excellent, as always Martin. Thank you. And great drone footage from Mark. There's something very 'monster like' watching thoses machines nibble away at a once proud mill. Thanks again both.
Yeah they make mincemeat of it
Great footage Martin.
So sad to see the destruction of so mighty a building that our forebears sweated blood over to "Get it Right" ... 😥
Thanks Bryan
Martin. You're an artist. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge.
Thanks very much
Cheers Martin .... many memories of the surrounding area and the mill, we grew up in the shadows of the Mill 60-65 years ago on Block Lane opposite the Hare & Hounds when there was a Mill next to it (The Shoddy) and The Osbourne Mill on Robinson Street where my Dad worked most of his life. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Tom, yeah there were loads werent there
Bit by bit the physical history disappears but with people like you Martin it will be gone but not forgotten. Thanks for the video Martin keep up the fabulous work you do.👍👏👏👏
Thanks very much, its memory will live on TH-cam style 😃
Really enjoyed that Martin, the drone shots and music make it really quite moody. Amazing for future generations to have these videos for reference.
Thanks Mark
THANKS for documenting this building. Much appreciated.
Fred Dibnah was quite the chap. Interesting fellow.
The building where the drone had flown in, surely a characteristic building if you recognize it right away.
Hi Martin, so sad to watch this when you think of all of the peoples lives that have come and gone that had connections to the mill in it's heyday. The relationships that formed and the friendships forged of the people that once worked at the mill when it was in full production. So much history has happened since it's first blueprints hit the table fresh from the architects that helped build it, right up to now as it is being demolished the building has touched so many peoples lives. So very sad to see it in it's present state, thank the lord that you managed to document it for posterity for later generations to learn about the history of Chadderton and it's people. A fantastic look at the mill during it's many stages of being derelict to being demolished, I think your video's of it may become a lot more important during the following years. Thank you so much for trying your hardest to get us the footage of this once great place, please stay safe and well in these uncertain times. xx 💙
Thank you very much Sue
@@MartinZero 💜
Stunning Drone footage, Martin. Also, you did evoke an essence of faded glory. The soundtrack married the subject perfectly. A Tour-de-Force once again.🇯🇪
Thanks very much Ivan, yep a touch of sadness in the music
Thanks for the video Martin would be nice to see them knocking the top half of the chimney down by hand so sad not many mills left these days once again Martin you for taking the time to film it .
Thanks very much Martin
Shame, wasteful, and a great loss really. Just think of all the hours it took and the hard work of the men who built it, now gone. another great video Martin, well done.
Thanks very much Graham
Great video and a reminder of how important our heritage is. Hope you all stay healthy during this crazy time. Peace.
Hello Martin, strangely I live in Manchester, just 10 miles from Hartford but in Connecticut USA. Your opening photo is spectacular. I love your explorations of the Industrial Age in the UK. We Americans didn’t save most of our early industrial infrastructure or architecture. Thank you for showing what we might have done to preserve this heritage. I especially like the mines. As we say in the US “ keep on trucking” and giving us great videos, especially with the pandemic that keeps us from doing any unnecessary travel.
A loviothon of a building. Seeing buildings being demolished always makes me wonder how many lives have been touched by their existence, how many couples have met and married, how many have passed away, for how many was it their first job, etc etc. My mother worked in a cotton mill as a young girl before the war. I'd love to know which one but that will be long gone by now.
Yeah, I have similar thoughts. and in 2 years time it will only exist in photographs
Grew up right next to it used to see it everyday going to school it's a shame it's nearly gone. I hope they build a football pitch there coz there ain't any football pitches in the area
The March of the Machines! Thanks Martin for these inspirational videos !
Thank you Gareth
cracking video martin such a shame to see such a lovely building lost stay safe .
Excellent video Martin I live just across from the mill near the tram stop when they start on the chimney I will let you know shame to see such an iconic building going
Thanks Andrew, they will possibly ladder it. If you could message me on facebook cheers
Hi how sad to see buildings with such history and tales to tell are gone in what seems to be decisions based on profit sad state of affairs, another great video though Martin you never disappoint cheers Teresa 🤗
As usual Martin another gem. Have you noticed how the cast iron pillars on each floor get slimmer the higher they are. They don't need to support as much weight (saving money) .I can't believe Oldham council have let another mill be pulled down to the ground. They need to save one and make it into a working museum. This town was the epicentre for producing cotton and we have nothing to show for it. It's a crying shame, especially as lot of people have a deep connection to the industry. Come on Oldham council lets get this sorted before we have no mills left.
Thanks Mark, yep not many left
Sad to see the old building go but we knew it was coming. In these current sad times great to get your weekly video fix. Many thx Martin.
Thanks very much
Aren't drones excellent for this sort of thing. Great shots of the area from above. Plus, brilliant to get this information whilst you're able to do so. Keep 'em coming Martin.
Fantastic footage as always. Really loved the opening build up. You have created a great record of the last few years and the final demise of a once important building. It was very interesting to see all the steel work and the simplicity of it's construction. I to like demolition especially with these modern machines and the seemingly delicate way they demolish unlike the old swinging ball method. I noticed from the drone footage there looks to be a few other old mill type buildings still surviving in that area. Great to see how you mixed in comparison shots from your previous visits you really spoil us with all the effort you put in to your vlogs. Its funny but I cannot look at a chimney like that without thinking of Fred Dibnah and hearing his voice in my head, he would be proud of you.Many thanks Martin.
Thanks very much John glad you enjoyed it
I have always enjoyed your videos Martin , so much so , that I save them to watch later , when I need a boost ..Thank you so much ..xx
Thanks Anne, hope you enjoy them
Great video brilliant I am glad you have filmed this good on you for capture the last moment of the building.
As a maintenance engineer in the clothing industry i would visit many huge mill just like this. I never thought i would be sad to see them being demolished though...great video BTW
Thank you so much Martin for this video I'm possibly the most appreciative of this video. I grew up in Chadderton and spent most of my childhood playing in and on Hartford mill we used to sit on the coilpinh stone at the roof line and watch the kids playing in the street below us when the houses used to be there many years ago I asked on a previous video if you'd be able to try and get some footage of it being demolished as I moved to birmingham ast year and knew I would miss it being pulled down my comment probably got lost as I know. you get a lot of comments bit I'd like to thank you for this video and the footage you got brought a tear to my eye watching my memories being pulled down but good at the same time as it was a very dangerous building that has unfortunately claimed people lives.. keep the content coming mate i love watching your videos hope to meet you one day for an explore
Thanks very much. yeah I bet it was sad to see its demise
So sad...but thank you Martin for recording it for future generations
Brilliant Martin ....very atmospheric too quite sad but interesting to note there are still other mills in the back ground from the drone footage .....keep up the great work ..hope to see the end of this building sad as it is mate..Frank & Lee..
Thanks very much to you both
Wow! Thanks to Mark as well. I really hope you can get footage of the rest of the demolition. Its history too. I would have thought the chimney could be demolished by blowing it up to collapse on itself. These vids are like mini holidays for me now stuck at home because I'm 60+. I like that you ignore the graffiti and leave only footprints. Take care Martin.xxx
Thank you Maggie
Was an beautiful building, but if no one wants it / develops it, it has to go - we can’t always live in the past.
Great video as always Martin, I enjoy the drone shots, great the way they give another perspective on everything
J
Thanks very much
Thanks for a great video:Martin , the drone footage is brill 👌🏼🧱👍🏼
I remember driving through Oldham one night with my family and we passed close to Hartford Mill. The mill looked super creepy in its delapidated state with the full moon shining silently behind it - sent shivers down my spine, but boy what an image that's stayed with me!
It does rather dominate the skyline or Did
Wow! Beautiful photos Martin! 🤯😍
Make a calendar?
It's a shame they won't leave the main stair tower standing and refurbish it for historical value.
6:24 was the money shot for me.
Great work, Martin. Thanks.
Martin you kept your word and went back for the drop!!! Well done !! What a treat!! Mint👌👌👌
Thanks Paul
Saw the first minute n arf, tragic loss of our heritage : (
Yeah, difficult to watch
I wonder if in years to come, people will regard this demolition in the same way we regard the tragic demolition of some Elizabethan buildings in the 1900s🙁
A great video Martin, sad to see these landmark buildings reduced to rubble though
Some of the best imagery and music you've put together yet Martin (IMHO), your red headed mate did indeed come good, and now we know where much of your music comes from too. It all adds up to some fantastic viewing. Capturing footage of the two mechanical dinosaurs nibbling away at the building was a bit of good luck. I loved your 'intimate' photos too, they really did enhance the whole experience.
All the best!
Thanks Mike, yep they were like Dinosaurs 😀
Another fascinating video. I worked in Ace Mill in Chadderton in the 1970s. Very similar design - the grid system of pillars, stair towers, brings it all back. Ace Mill in 70s was owned by Nettle Delta - tv aerials and electric sockets. £30 a week! Luxury! 😂😂 Thanks for documenting this and recording history. 👍
I worked in Earl Mill in Oldham (converted into offices) for a few years, remember it well. Maple Mill just up the road had to be demolished due to fire damage, but for some reason they kept the tower with "Maple" written at the top long after the rest had been cleared away.
Thanks very much. Has Ace mill gone now ? £30 a week sounds alright 😀
Oh yeah I remember Maple Mill
Ace mill looks like it’s still there from Google street view junction of Broadway and Gorse Street/Whitegate Lane. Chadderton, Oldham OL9 9QH
Great video.
Sad to see the old building go but glad you managed to capture some of the demolition.
Demolition is a skilled but dangerous job that employs some magnificent machinery.
I used to do some work on the computer systems for Ron Hull Demolition in Rotherham, so I have seen some of those machines up close.
I would love to have a go in one Andy
@@MartinZero Oh I never got to go that far, never even got to sit in one, just walked past them in the yard sometimes!
Excellent as always Martin. Such a shame the building is being taken down. I hope they incorporate something from the mill into the new development.
I doubt they will Harry, maybe it will be called Hartford close ?
Some wonderful cinematography Martin
Thanks Bob
Nice one Martin
Thanks for the filler video, dare I call it that. Lovely piece of history captured.
Let’s hope they do something nice with the land even if it’s just trees!
Have a good week
I think it will be houses Phil
Brilliant although sad in a lot of ways. It’s a shame they can’t make retail or apartments from it. There was a time I would have wandered around a roof like that but even the drone footage has an adverse effect on the Crown Jewels these days. Keep up the good work Martin.
Another great video. I love the intro shot of the clouds
Thanks Paul
Great work in covering the demise of an historic part of Manchester! It was through your original video on this building that lead me to stop off there on the tram back in September last year to see what I could see of it. I knew its demise was only a matter of time... 😢
Oh did you go and visit the place
Cheers Martin great video looking forward to the next one. Brilliant work
Thanks very much
When you see a sight like that you can’t help thinking about Fred Dibnah can you. Remember the drone recovery video well.
Another great video thank you Martin for taking the time to create this video for us.
Thanks very much. Stuff like this has fascinated me since I was a kid
Great video! I love the drone footage with that amazing music playing over the top.
Thank you for posting this. Great music. And the plug for Fred was appropriate.
Thank you William
Fred Dibnah would have respectfully took the chimney down in one, on site.
This is fascinating. I'm so glad you could capture these moments.
Thanks Patrick, me to
youn and the backing music bring the story if the building to life, its will be a shame to see the towers demolished but im sure you give them a fitting send off if you get time to film it, great vid as always
Thanks very much Paul
Very interesting video as usual, Martin.
Much as it's good to watch modern machinery doing demolition, I loved when the old drag line excavators were used with the swinging demolition ball.
Oh well, I am old fashioned.
It's a shame to see such amazing brickwork bite the dust. We will never see such brilliant bricklayers Art ever again. To be replaced by a concrete and glass monstrosity, no doubt luxury apartments, way out of reach of the working classes pockets.
Great compilation Martin.
Take care buddy during this crazy time.
Thanks very much Stephen
Don’t know what it is Martin but watching all the old stuff coming down with all the history associated with it and all the people who passed through the old buildings just fills me with a weird sense of melancholy.
Yeah its such a shame, the end of an era
oooh - it had a pond/lake nearby. Intresting photo at 19:29 - Thanks for including this
Yeah strange isnt it, a mill lodge
I remember Littlewoods mail order running from here Up to the early nineties and there used to be a little cake shop on Edward St. that I used and was popular with the mill workers.. In Later years it was known as the biggest fly tipping spot in Oldham, the mill has had its time so let's hope they use the land well. Great video as ever Martin.
Still a load of fly tipping Darren
Thanks for the superb content martin, hope you have plenty of stuff already filmed to get us all through the impending lock down 🙏 keep up the good work.
Err no I havent 😆😦
Thanks very much Connor
👍🏻@15
Sad to see this demolition .......love old buildings 🍀
Me to Catherine
Another great video!!! You should've asked for a brick when talking to the worker so you'd have it as a souvenir/keepsake...
Thanks Martin. So sad that a great building with so much history of the cotton spinning industry had to be demolished. Stay safe in these difficult times.
Thanks Ruth, yes so sad to see it coming down
A well produced video, if as always sad to see such buildings demolished 👍👍
Thanks David, yes very sad
This is great demolition footage. Any video of them smashing down and blowing up the towers?
That hasn’t been done yet I live opposite it
@@codysimpson7431 Great info thanks!
@@PreservationEnthusiast no problem
Cool, looking forward to watching this...too much craziness going on. 😎
Thank you
Best gravy dinners in that canteen circ 1976 - part-time work there helped get me through college at Hopwood Hall
Another fantastic video thanks Martin
Terrible. Our victorian heritage being pulverised... End of another one :(
Not many left
To be replaced with quick build modern homes... A sad loss to Industrial Heritage
One poster mentions FRED, anyone remember the show where he showed how to Ladder, a chimney ? Well that was the E mill in Atherton, Manchester.That mill and chimney is still standing now used as a sales Centre and last time I was home doing very well.
They pay the operators to work the machines ripping the old buildings down, just thinking they could make a few bob by allowing folk like me, to operate the machine under supervision ripping off a floor or two. Bet there is a market for the cast iron columns supporting the individual floors, cleaned up would be useful in gardens and such.
Cheers for all your work, did enjoy the Ginger Plonker and appreciated his efforts.
John
Thanks John, yep I watched that episode on laddering a chimney
Stunning Video just what i been waiting for from you. Its good to see the building gone now. Its was dangerous Martin. Waiting now when the chimney goes down, and will you be there hopefully for it.
Hopefully I can get there for it
Great video 👍 Such a shame the mill had to go, especially the chimney. At least you've documented it for the future.
Thanks Steve
So strange when you see a place you have been in before, now just a pile of rubble. Spotting bits that you filmed before, hard to put into words, but a strange old feeling. And then when you think back to the heyday of the mill, when it was new, and all the thousands of people that would have gone to work there everyday. places like that are just so full of history of a time gone by. When you showed the boiler room, i was trying to imagine the people that worked those boilers, and the people that fitted them, wondering what they were like. Yep, a big old chunk of history gone there.
Are there any photographs from inside the building when it was being used? There must be some out there. Staff birthdays etc. Would be interesting to see what it was like back when.
Probably, but I think in private collections
Another amzing video from a top TH-cam channel. Shame to see a mill being taken down. Wonder what will be here next. Housing or the unknown.
Hope your keeping safe
Regards Jamie
I think its gonna be houses. And thanks Jamie
So very sad to see another grand old lady getting reduced to nothing but rubble! Felt an knot in my stomach, kinda like the other weekend when I was watching the Victorian railway bridge at Hyde Road getting unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road 🙁☹😭
Oh yeah, good job you recorded that
@@MartinZero I almost didn't... my colleague at work gets the Manchester Evening News newspaper and the removal of the bridge was mentioned in it, he told me, so I made my battle plan to be there from the start so that I didn't miss out on recording it, as the place is special to me.... though it took em long enough 😂 Plus with today's discovery and filming, it's just gotten a hundred times more interesting yet again!
Cheers from the U.S. ! Thanks for posting!
Thanks very much
Great Drone footage! kind of cool to see the last towers left up too! I hope they add a few more football greens in the space, to go with the ones next door! Hope you get footage of the two towers coming down!
Thanks Miles, I think the lot is coming down
Love the opening shots of the mill seemed so surreal
Thanks Terry
Fantastic video Martin, but sad, really pleased that you have managed to get your footage over the years, the changes, the destruction, seen a likness to a ww2 bomb site at one point , really hope you get more recordings of the final stages, its important stuff , to get a record, for future generations to see and learn , especially when you think of the thousands of places that have been cleared over the years , even without a few photos, photographs, you're doing a great job, your mate did cracking job with the drone too, thanks very much for sharing it, keep it safe, its history 👍🙂
Thanks very much Colin
Great vid Mart, shame about the building but some amazing drone shots!
Thanks very much Marc
Except for war service, my father spent his entire working life in mills like this. In reality the textile trade was in decline from WW1. There were booms, including the second world war and the introduction of artificial fibres, but the wider picture was one of contraction and increased competition from Edwardian times. Mills like Hartford were imposing edifices that dominated a district. The work inside was hard, typically twelve hours shifts, five-and-a-half days a week for most of the c20th. A lot of the workers retired deaf.
Yeah my Gran and mum worked in local mills, they said the same 👍
Excellent photography opening sequence. The likes of those chimneys may never be seen again. Precious reminders of our industrial heritage..we call those machines nibblers btw.
Cheers Tony. It will be a sad day when the last of the chimneys has gone.
Hi Martin. great video. I've been documenting the demise of Hartford for a few years now - just wanted to give you the heads up but it looks like demolition has recommenced recently. Only the chimney/stairwells/liftshaft now remain - most of that remaining main building has gone now. According to a source it's all due to come down this month.