Power loom rows, as used in Lancashire weaving sheds and cotton factories during the late 19th and early 20th century
Image details
Contributor:
Tony SmithImage ID:
2R55JBAFile size:
57.1 MB (2 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
5472 x 3648 px | 46.3 x 30.9 cm | 18.2 x 12.2 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
26 May 2023Location:
Lancashire, North West England, United KingdomMore information:
The large cylindrical beam wrapped with white yarn at the front is the warp beam, supplying thousands of parallel warp threads. The machines are arranged in long, tightly packed rows, typical of weaving sheds rather than spinning rooms. Overhead line-shafting and belt drives powered each loom individually. The overall layout is wide, open and repetitive, designed for one weaver to supervise multiple looms. This immediately distinguishes it from: Spinning mules (which have moving carriages) Ring frames (vertical spindles, no warp beam) Carding or drawing machines (shorter, bulkier units) What the loom did A Lancashire power loom: Took warp yarn from the beam Inserted weft yarn across it (by shuttle in older looms) Interlaced warp and weft to produce woven cloth Wound the finished fabric onto a cloth roller This was the final major stage of cotton manufacture, after carding, drawing and spinning. Why this is classic Lancashire Power looms dominated towns such as Burnley, Blackburn, Accrington, Chorley and Preston Lancashire specialised in mass cotton weaving, often more than spinning Sheds were built with: North-light roofs for even daylight Open floors to manage noise, heat and lint A single weaver, often a woman, might operate four or more looms simultaneously In short This image shows Lancashire cotton power looms in a weaving shed, producing woven cloth from spun yarn. It represents the end stage of the cotton process and one of the most recognisable interiors of Britain’s industrial textile past. This image shows a row of historic cotton power looms inside a Lancashire weaving shed, a setting that became synonymous with mass textile production during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Power looms were used to weave spun cotton yarn into finished cloth by interlacing warp threads, drawn from the large beams visible in the foreground, with weft yarn carried across the loom. The looms are arranged in long, uniform rows
