This is a page that we hope to build on, and hopefully with your help. If you have memories of your visit to the Mill at the Pier please contact us and tell us your story.
We do know that the Mill at the Pier was opened around 1983 as a venue for Wigan, situated within the historic Trencherfield Mill, the Mill at the Pier became the host for the Wigan International Jazz Festival in July 1986. We believe there have a been a host of stars perform here over the period from 1986 until its closure around 2005/6.
We really would love to share your stories and photographs here on the website, so please do get in touch.
This has come from someone who worked at Trencherfield Mill, we thought is was very interesting so we added it here for you to read:
I started Trencherfield Mill at the age of fifteen when the building was used as a cotton mill.
I worked in what was known as the Card room, here was one of the beginning stages of the cotton journey.
Large bales of cotton on rolls were fed through machines to form a sausage type shape which winded in to drums measuring around 3 and 1/2 feet tall, my job was to make sure each machine was running correctly, pushing the cotton down to fill but making sure they did not overflow (there around 15 drums to each machine maybe more) each person had their own isle to control, as soon as drums were full you had another waiting to change over so you would drag the full drum and quickly replace it with the empty drum to start again.
The full ones were then dragged to the end of the isle were someone would take those to the next stage of the journey.
The quicker you were (making sure the job is done properly) would give you time to have a minute to rest or sweep your isle, you could not have an untidy or sloppy isle.
The noise was very loud from the machines and communication was usually done by lip reading and all the time you had to keep watch on your drums as they were all going at the same time, you had a sequence going so they did not overflow which sometimes happened and then the machine had to be swiched off soyou had to gather the cotton up off the floor, you were in trouble and did not go down well with the overseer (your boss).
I had alternate shifts 6-2 and 2-10pm I had to wear a pinny with pockets there were no uniforms, I took a packed lunch I would also take loose tea and some milk in a small bottle and sugar in little bag, no teabags in those days and coffee was not popular no one drank coffee, there were no canteens, at breaks you would gather up an empty drum or an old chair if there was around and sit with your mates to have your break, someone might take orders and go out for chips and fish pies ect or in the summer time you would go and sit outside for your lunch,I remember the summers being really hot in those days, if you smoked you did this outside or if I remember you could go in the toilets.
I remember I used like a smoke as so many of us at that age thankfully I broke that habit quite early, I remember we used to get 5 woodbines in a packet, its all we could aford, if you were feeling flushed you may up to Senior Service, those five woodbines would last me a couple of days and you would share these sometimes if your mate did not have any.
Looking back it was not an easy job in the cotton mills but there were fun days.
Sometimes I could not wait for the blower or siren to go off either for your break or finishing time, before leaving your shift your isle had to be spotless, all swept and your machines cleaned, (that blower I believe to this day, goes off every Sunday ,)
