J Bromley & Co Ltd, Sunfield Hat Works, Windmill Ln, Denton
The works of this company is situated on the corner of Windmill Ln and Rose Hill (Rosehill Ave).
Slater's Trade Directories give the address as Windmill Ln, although the entrance is on Rose Hill. The firm manufactured silk, felt and velour hats as well as tweed caps;
velour being a thick-piled fabric similar to velvet.
At a meeting of J Bromley & Co Ltd, held at the office of a solicitor on Hyde Rd, Denton, on the 7 Jan 1942, a resolution was passed to wind up the company.
| Year | Details |
|---|---|
| 1871 | Resident on Manchester Rd, Denton. James Bromley*, Head, aged 35 years, Master Hatter employing five men, two boys and two females. Jane Bromley*, Wife, aged 37 years. Five daughters and one son. |
| 1881 | Resident on Seymour St, Denton. James Bromley, Head, aged 45 years, Hat Manufacturer employing six men and four girls. Jane Bromley, Wife, aged 47 years. Six daughters and two sons. |
| 1891 | Resident on Seymour St, Denton. James Bromley, Head, aged 55 years, Silk Hat Manufacturer. Jane Bromley, Wife, aged 56 years. Five daughters and two sons. |
| 1901 | Resident on Seymour St, Denton. James Bromley, Head, aged 65 years, Silk Hat Manufacturer. Jane Bromley, Wife, aged 67 years. Three daughters and one son. |
*James Bromley and Jane Hague were married at Ashton-under-Lyne in 1855.
This is a brick-built, two-storey works and an interesting architectural feature is that the windows have alternating shallow-arched and flat-arched lintels. The works is L-shaped in plan with gables on both the Windmill Ln and Rose Hill elevations but these cannot be seen in this view. It was built with English Garden Wall Bond with a course of headers followed by four courses of stretchers and then a course of headers and so on. That is, there is a row of headers every fifth course.
Messrs Moores, Birkby & Brown, Windmill Ln, Denton
The surviving hat works of this company stands on the west side of Windmill Ln diagonally opposite Sunfield Hat Works of J Bromley & Co. It is brick built, two-storeys high, 19 bays long by 3 bays wide with a slate roof.
The offices front Windmill Ln and there is a second floor loading bay at the centre.
The company was founded in 1872 by four brothers, William Moores, James Moores, Joseph Moores and Samuel Moores, and Edward Birkby and William Brown. In 1919 the company name was changed to William Brown & Sons (Denton) Ltd, the directors being William Brown and his sons William Ralph Brown and Norman Clayton Brown. This company was wound up in May 1947.