Asa Lees facts for kids

Asa Lees was a big company in Oldham, England. They made machines for the textile industry, which is all about making cloth and fabric. Their main factory was called Soho Iron Works. This company was one of the largest machine makers, second only to another famous company called Platt Brothers.

Early Days of Asa Lees

The company started in the 1790s when Samuel Lees opened a small workshop called Soho Works. He made rollers, which are important parts for machines. Later, his son, Asa Lees (who lived from 1816 to 1862), took over the business.

Asa Lees made the company much bigger. He even sold special weaving machines called power looms to places like St Petersberg in Russia. Eventually, the company decided to focus on making machines for preparing and spinning cotton, not just weaving. They even changed their cotton mill into a factory for making parts for spinning mules, which are machines that spin cotton into thread.

In 1868, Asa Lees became a "limited company." This means it was owned by many people who bought shares in the company. Its shares were traded on the local stock market in Oldham. Asa Lees was known for being very careful with its business. They only worked with companies they trusted and did not push hard to sell their machines overseas.

The company grew very fast in the 1880s under the leadership of Robert Taylor. In 1906, Asa Lees reached its peak, employing about 3,000 workers!

Joining Other Companies

In the 1930s, there was a big economic downturn. Many companies struggled. Because of this, Asa Lees and several other large textile machinery makers decided to join forces. These companies included Platt Brothers, Howard & Bullough, Brooks & Doxey, Dobson & Barlow, Joseph Hibbert, John Hetherington, and Tweedales & Smalley.

They all merged to form a new, bigger company called Textile Machinery Makers Ltd. Even after the merger, each company kept its original name and continued to operate separately until the 1970s. Then, they were all combined into one company called Platt UK Ltd. In 1991, the company name changed again to Platt Saco Lowell.

The Factory Location

• Soho Iron Works - Greenacres SD 939053 53°32′38″N 2°05′38″W / 53.544°N 2.094°W / 53.544; -2.094