xcept the United States, and in 1909,
was spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined. By 1911 there were
16.4 million spindles in Oldham, compared with a total of 58 million
in the United Kingdom and 143.5 million in the world; in 1928, with the
construction of the UK's largest textile factory Oldham reached its
manufacturing zenith. At its peak, there were more than 360 mills, operating
night and day; Oldham's town scape was dominated by distinctive rectangular
brick-built mills. Oldham was hit hard by the Lancashire Cotton Famine of
1861–1865, when supplies of raw cotton from the United States were cut off.
Wholly reliant upon the textile industry, the cotton famine created chronic
unemployment in the town. By 1863 a committee had been formed, and with aid
from central government, land was purchased with the intention of employing
local cotton workers to construct Alexandra Park, which opened on 28 August
1865. Said to have over-relied upon the textile sector, as the importation of
cheaper foreign yarns grew during the 20th century, Oldham's economy declined
into a depression, although it was not until 1964 that Oldham ceased to be the
largest centre of cotton spinning. In spite of efforts to increase the
efficiency and competitiveness of its production, the last cotton spun in the
town was in 1998.
Engineering
Facilitated by its flourishing textile industry, Oldham developed extensive
structural and mechanical engineering sectors during the 18th and 19th
centuries. The manufacture of spinning and weaving machinery in Oldham belongs
to the last decade of the 19th century, when it became a leading centre in the
field of engineering. The Platt Brothers, originated in nearby Dobcross
village, but moved to Oldham. They were pioneers of cotton-spinning machinery,
developing innovative products that enabled the
