Half of the building was destroyed by fire on 11 July 1950, but the remaining section continued to be used for cotton waste sorting by W. H. Holt and Son until 1988.

A rail service was provided by the Oldham Loop Line that was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

Oldham's soils were too thin and poor to sustain crop growing, and so for decades prior to industrialisation the area was used for grazing sheep, which provided the raw material for a local woollen weaving trade.

By 1871 the town of Oldham had more spindles than any country in the world except the United States, and in 1909, was spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined.

[13] The Bank of England set up the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1929 to attempt to rationalise and save the industry.

[13] 1300 hp engine by Hick, Hargreaves & Co In 1915, 98,436 spindles – used by Platt as a show mill[13]