Ancoats and Beehive Mill
Our office is a former cotton-spinning mill, built in 1824 as the world’s first incubator unit! The mill owner let out floors, and parts of floors, to families who had previously worked 2 or 3 looms in their attics but who had run out of space. Some of the family businesses flourished and moved to bigger premises.
150 or so years later when the cotton industry had long gone, Beehive Mill become a venue for the music industry and still houses a music college, rehearsal rooms, entrepreneur businesses and Sankey Soap nightclub. English Heritage money was used to refurbish it and arc4 moved in during 2002
Beehive Mill is located in Ancoats, just east of Manchester City Centre in what is known as the world’s first industrial suburb. Ancoats started to grow in the late 18th century when the first mills were built by Scottish families who moved down to build the cotton spinning industry here. Our neighbouring mills, Royal and Murray’s are a World Heritage Site and were built in 1794 and 1804 respectively. Ancoats used to have 250 public houses. Sadly we’re now down to one!.