The Cotton Bale

The once vital cotton industry is recalled in the name of this Wetherspoon pub.

By the mid 19th century, cotton was 'king' in Lancashire and northeast Cheshire. There were 30 mills in the Hyde district alone, and at least half of the town's 24,000 inhabitants were employed in cotton mills. Cotton remained a dominant force in the history of Hyde in the early years, before its decline set in during more recent times.