A Long Bed Lathe from Coalisland Weaving Company

Image: © P Flannagan Taken: 30 Jul 2008

Situated now at the Coalisland Enterprise Centre, the long-bed lathe was designed specifically for processing long shafts and tubing where deep-hole drilling and boring are involved. After the American Civil War of 1861-1864 the cotton exporting Southern ports, blocked by the Northern forces, were causing a severe shortage of cotton. A Manchester cotton tycoon named Ledlie Clarke foresaw a demand for cotton goods would arise after the war. He got together with John Steveson of Stevenson's yard, to whom he was related by marriage, to build a weaving factory in Coalisland. By 1886 the factory, under the name "Stevenson & Clarke", went into production. Cotton and linen goods were produced including mattress ticking, awnings, damask tablecloths and tea cloths. John Stevenson later withdrew from the business and it carried on as "L. Clarke & Sons" After that family died out in 1922, Mr Christopher Beatty and Sir Samuel Kelly carried on as Coalisland Weaving Company but Kelly pulled out soon after and Mr Beatty carried on with his sons George and Charles. Back in the late 1930's a large new yarn store was built, being always referred to as the "New Building". By the 1960's foreign competition began to herald the end of the Textile Industry in Northern Ireland, and in October 1976 the big engine was turned off for the last time. Some weaving production carried on for a time powered by an electric motor until a serious fire destroyed the production area in 1977 and another fire in 1978 saw the final closure. At this time a group of local businessmen and community leaders got together to form the Coalisland Development Association, buying the now-derelict factory and setting up a youth training programme. The "New Building" was used for training workshops for joinery, engineering, building, craft and electrical subjects. The Coalisland Training Services are now in the Enterprise Centre and the New Building was taken over and transformed by the Craic Theatre.

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