 The CWS
Printing Works once occupied most of the block
bounded by Dickenson Road, Hamilton Road, Stamford
Road and Rainforth Street. It was built in the
1890s to accommodate the Co-operative Society's
burgeoning printing and bookbinding needs. The
society's annual report for 1900 makes referencing
to this new development in its business. It
said that, "So large had the requirements of
the Wholesale for printing, bookbinding etc
grown, that it was deemed advisable to establish
a Printing Department. In January, 1895, work
was commenced in Holgate Street, Manchester,
where very soon over 150 employes were busily
engaged. A distinct success from the
beginning, the building in Holgate Street
was soon found far too small, and in July, 1898,
the business was transferred to the new works
which had been erected at Longsight, about 2 miles away.
The new building is 220ft. square, and consists mainly of
one great room, divided into three portions by low partitions. The
first contains the heavy litho-graphic and letterpress printing
machines. These are of the most modern type, capable of turning
out very quickly the best class of work. The second portion is
occupied by the compositors, and the third is used by the ruling
and bookbinding departments. A large basement, excavated under
the composing and binding rooms, is used as a paper stockroom and
for packing. Heavy machinery will also be put down here
ultimately. The front of the building in Hamilton Road is
two-storeyed, and contains the offices, the artists' room, and the
Pattern-card Making Department."
 "All the machinery is driven by electricity, generated by powerful dynamos, each machine having its own motor. The same dynamos also supply the electric lighting. Many advantages are obtained by this system, not the least of which is initial economy, there being no gearing, shafting, and belts. All these are done away with, with the result that there is a remarkable freedom from dust and dirt and oil, and there is considerably less risk of accident to life and limb."  "The publication of the "Wheatsheaf" is no light task. The circulation has now risen to over 170,000 copies monthly. The "Annual" for 1897, 1898, and 1899 were printed and bound in the Society's works, and gave further proof that the work turned out is second to none." Below is a photograph of the
workforce of the Longsight Printing Works in the
early 1900s
 Here is a view of the inside of the Printing Works.  When the aerial photograph below was taken, in the 1940s, the complex was still intact.  Today, if you wander off Dickenson Road
down Hamilton Road or Rainforth Street, you will still find the remnants
of the print works. What is left is rather the
worse for wear and the section which once ran along
Stamford Street is long gone and replaced by a
parking and loading/unloading area. What
remains of the building, minus the chimneys, is
being used by a variety of commercial enterprises as
a Longsight business park.
Hamilton Road
  Stanford Road  Rainforth Street  Notice that the base of the chimney still remains on the roof.   |