Preston - Richard Arkwright

Richard Arkwright was one of the most important figures in the industrialisation of Britain. 

He was born in Preston on the 23 December 1732 - the youngest of thirteen children, and for a while he lived in this house located in Stoneygate in Preston

Arkwright House, Preston

Behind the tree!

I like the following descriptions of him.  The writer/ historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) wrote:

“Richard Arkwright, it would seem, was not a beautiful man, no romance hero with haughty eyes, Apollo lip and gesture like the herald Mercury; a plain, almost gross, bag-cheeked, pot-bellied, Lancashire man, with an air of painful reflection, yet also of copious free digestion; a man stationed by the community to shave certain dusty beards in the northern parts of England, at a halfpenny each. .....Nevertheless, in strapping of razors, in lathering of dusty beards, and the contradictions and confusions attendant thereon, the man had nothings in that rough head of his; spindles, shuttles, wheels and contrivances plying ideally within the same.....His townsfolk rose in mob around him, for threatening to shorten labour, to shorten wages, - so that he had to fly, with broken wash-pots, scattered household, and seek refuge elsewhere. Nay, his wife, too, as I learn, rebelled; burned his wooden model of his spinning wheel, resolute that he should stick to his razors rather, for which however, he decisively, as thou wilt rejoice to understand, packed her out of doors. O reader, what a historical phenomenon is that bag-cheeked, pot-bellied, much enduring, much inventing barber!.....it was this man that had to give England the power of cotton.” (Hardwick, p 372)

R.S. Fitton (biographer) wrote of him:

The founder of the factory system, he was the creator of a new industrial society that transformed England from a nearly self-sufficient country with an economy based on agriculture and domestic manufacture, into the workshop of the world.” (Hunt 143)

And Arkwright certainly made a pretty penny out of the process. A 1785 newspaper reported:

It is remarkable that the great mechanic, Arkwright, was a barber and a few years ago shaved for a penny. His astonishing machine brought him one year a revenue of £70,000, and though he has lowered his prices to crush his rivals, his profits are yet between £40,000 and £50,000 a year. Universal Daily Register, January 1785

In today's money that would be equivalent to a revenue of £7 million and profits of £4 to 5 million plus. In a period of a few short years he shot to one of the world's wealthiest men. The brilliant Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) described his inventions as having been productive of greater commercial advantages to this country, and contributed more to the general benefits of mankind in so short a period than any other single effort of human ingenuity. (Aspin, p. 5)

His impact on the industrial world was incredible. Others called the machines 'Stupendous' 'magick'. And it was not just a case of the machines being so much faster they also produced a thread that was "a many times stronger and leveller". This uniform quality of yarn made the weaving so much finer and sought after.

If you'd like a tour of Arkwright's Preston and the cotton industry of Preston why not give us a call.

The Surprising Trio

Lancaster's Catholic Cathedral has a trio of surprising characters.

First up is Henry VIII.  You'd hardly expect the King who broke the ties with Rome to be featured in a Catholic stained glass window, but there he is. The reason he's there is because of his connection with some of the Catholic martyrs who suffered under his leadership.

Second is a statue of Judas Iscariot - the traitor who betrayed the Saviour.  You can see him in the middle of this scene pointing to Jesus.

And finally, is King Herod - he who slaughtered the innocent children in the hopes that he would kill the baby Jesus.  He is the figure on the left with his foot on a baby.

This stained glass is quite fittingly placed at the entrance to the baptistry - a place for innocence and rebirth.

If you fancy a tour of the Cathedral or the religious heritage of Lancaster just let us know.  There is so much to see all around the city.

Lancaster Cathedral

Our religious heritage has so much depth that I continue to be amazed, enthralled, impressed, intrigued, etc. etc.  Our Tourist Guide group recently had the chance for an enlightening visit to Lancaster's Catholic Cathedral.

For centuries Catholics kept a reasonably low profile which is illustrated by this photo of a previous Catholic church in Lancaster.  The church is the one behind the tree.  It looks like a house!

But the new Lancaster Cathedral  (built 1857-59) made a very bold statement on Lancaster's landscape.  Catholicism was here and was here to stay. 

The interior of the church is full of beautiful stained glass, statues and masonry. 

I recommend a visit.  Guided tours available.  In fact, Lancaster is full of religious buildings and we'd be happy to take you around the streets of Lancaster for a Sacred Places tour.

Have you visited Gawthorpe Hall?  Lancashire has its fair share of stately homes, and this one, located near Burnley, deserves a visit. 

It is not a massive home, but there is plenty to keep you interested.  Some of the ceiling decorations are real works of art, plus there is a nice Bronte connection.   

One thing that definitely deserves a mention is the international collection of needlework.  Coming from a man that might sound a bit of an airy-fairy thing to say, but the exhibition really is worth looking at.  The range and historical depth of the collection is wonderful.  If you get a chance to get a group together you can also arrange to see some of the material from the archives.  It costs a bit more to do this, but I consider it worth the extra pennies.

If you fancy a visit and a tour around this area why not book a guided tour.  Contact Peter Fagg on 01257 249750.