The city of Preston, located on the banks of the River Ribble, has a population of just over 313,000. In its past Preston has been a thriving place for industries, one industry that thrived during the industrial revolution was textiles that has lead to cleaning services Preston.
The Preston textile industry initially began due to the locally sourced wool which was grown in huge crops through the 13th and 14th century and was woven in homes by individuals during this period.
Immigration of the time also helped the developing textile industry. The Flemish weavers who settled in the city in the 14th century shared their skills and techniques with the people of Preston, creating a thriving industry that ultimately put Preston on the industrial map.
Although there were great weavers in Preston during the 14th century, the textile industry didn't take off until the 18th century. It was in this time that Preston became known as a ‘boomtown’ and it was textiles that lifted the city to this stature.
One man who stood at the forefront and created the surge in industry was Sir Richard Arkwright.
Born 1732 in to a huge family of 13 children, having a highly skilled tailor for a father and great work ethic, Richard worked from a young age in his father’s barber business. His second marriage that fell around his 30th birthday brought him significant income, he used the money to invest in the barber business.
It was around this time he began looking into different trades. With his connections to the weaving trade, Richard explored the wig trade by purchasing and dying human hair to make it waterproof. The wig trade was in decline at the time as the fashion for wig wearing was in decline, Richard put his waterproof wigs to the side and began looking into invention and the mechanical industry.
In 1767 the first English spinning machine was invented, Arkwright took it upon himself to improve the design and created a stronger machine that produced a stronger yarn that required less physical labor. In 1775 Richard’s first spinning machine was patented.He went on to develop the machine throughout the next few years making it stronger and easier to use, it was during these developments that Richard’s plan really started to take hold. He was in the infancy of creating a method of working that would change industry forever.
The developments made by Arkwright turned the spinning machine from a hand-operated machine to a completely human-free process, the new inventions were faster and produced better quality yarn. Having a machine that substituted the need for human hands and fingers was a revolution, the down side to this was that thousands of skilled weavers were to become unemployed and replaced by non-skilled workers.
“Arkwright didn't just invent the spinning machine. He invented the modern factory.”
- Edward Meig
The city at this point wasn't big enough to fulfill Arkwright’s employment needs so he built cottages by the side of the mill to house workers, he would ship these in from the surrounding areas and employ them to work in his mills. The ‘factory system’ was starting to shape in Preston and Arkwright was at the helm. With the factory system came new opportunities for supporting job opportunities including factory cleaning services in Preston.
Arkwright devised patterns of working ‘shifts’ that increased profitability, this method of labour management was carried forward and has formed what we know as production shift patterns today.
The ‘shifts’ were very long and hard. He employed a 13-hour day that ran from 6 am to 7 pm and the employment age went from 6 years upwards. Over 40’s weren't generally employed as they were seen as being slow and tired, in many factories around two-thirds of the staff employed were teenage.
As the years went on the machines were optimised and improved, and continued to make Arkwright huge fortunes. To keep these new factories producing products to optimum output levels, they needed to be maintained and cleaned on a regular basis therefore maintenance and cleaning services in Preston were services in high demand.
From the back end of the 1770’s many tried to challenge Arkwright’s patents. Showing very little concern, he carried on and started to build his castle that would end up being the Arkwright family home.
Many saw the path of Richard Arkwright being one in which he borrowed and stole from others, he altered other peoples inventions for his own fortune and reaped the rewards.
What some people neglect to see is that Arkwright helped kick-start the industrial revolution. The approach he had to production by grouping workers into factory environments had given him the name the ‘Father of the factory system’.His development of shift patterns has helped industries all over the world create an environment where production can be at it’s most profitable on a day to day basis.This has also created opportunities for employment in supporting roles, for example factory cleaning and maintenance and cleaning services in Preston.
The Preston textile industry initially began due to the locally sourced wool which was grown in huge crops through the 13th and 14th century and was woven in homes by individuals during this period.
Immigration of the time also helped the developing textile industry. The Flemish weavers who settled in the city in the 14th century shared their skills and techniques with the people of Preston, creating a thriving industry that ultimately put Preston on the industrial map.
Although there were great weavers in Preston during the 14th century, the textile industry didn't take off until the 18th century. It was in this time that Preston became known as a ‘boomtown’ and it was textiles that lifted the city to this stature.
One man who stood at the forefront and created the surge in industry was Sir Richard Arkwright.
Born 1732 in to a huge family of 13 children, having a highly skilled tailor for a father and great work ethic, Richard worked from a young age in his father’s barber business. His second marriage that fell around his 30th birthday brought him significant income, he used the money to invest in the barber business.
It was around this time he began looking into different trades. With his connections to the weaving trade, Richard explored the wig trade by purchasing and dying human hair to make it waterproof. The wig trade was in decline at the time as the fashion for wig wearing was in decline, Richard put his waterproof wigs to the side and began looking into invention and the mechanical industry.
In 1767 the first English spinning machine was invented, Arkwright took it upon himself to improve the design and created a stronger machine that produced a stronger yarn that required less physical labor. In 1775 Richard’s first spinning machine was patented.He went on to develop the machine throughout the next few years making it stronger and easier to use, it was during these developments that Richard’s plan really started to take hold. He was in the infancy of creating a method of working that would change industry forever.
The developments made by Arkwright turned the spinning machine from a hand-operated machine to a completely human-free process, the new inventions were faster and produced better quality yarn. Having a machine that substituted the need for human hands and fingers was a revolution, the down side to this was that thousands of skilled weavers were to become unemployed and replaced by non-skilled workers.
“Arkwright didn't just invent the spinning machine. He invented the modern factory.”
- Edward Meig
The city at this point wasn't big enough to fulfill Arkwright’s employment needs so he built cottages by the side of the mill to house workers, he would ship these in from the surrounding areas and employ them to work in his mills. The ‘factory system’ was starting to shape in Preston and Arkwright was at the helm. With the factory system came new opportunities for supporting job opportunities including factory cleaning services in Preston.
Arkwright devised patterns of working ‘shifts’ that increased profitability, this method of labour management was carried forward and has formed what we know as production shift patterns today.
The ‘shifts’ were very long and hard. He employed a 13-hour day that ran from 6 am to 7 pm and the employment age went from 6 years upwards. Over 40’s weren't generally employed as they were seen as being slow and tired, in many factories around two-thirds of the staff employed were teenage.
As the years went on the machines were optimised and improved, and continued to make Arkwright huge fortunes. To keep these new factories producing products to optimum output levels, they needed to be maintained and cleaned on a regular basis therefore maintenance and cleaning services in Preston were services in high demand.
From the back end of the 1770’s many tried to challenge Arkwright’s patents. Showing very little concern, he carried on and started to build his castle that would end up being the Arkwright family home.
Many saw the path of Richard Arkwright being one in which he borrowed and stole from others, he altered other peoples inventions for his own fortune and reaped the rewards.
What some people neglect to see is that Arkwright helped kick-start the industrial revolution. The approach he had to production by grouping workers into factory environments had given him the name the ‘Father of the factory system’.His development of shift patterns has helped industries all over the world create an environment where production can be at it’s most profitable on a day to day basis.This has also created opportunities for employment in supporting roles, for example factory cleaning and maintenance and cleaning services in Preston.