Raksha Dave goes back in time as a mill worker

For this programme regular Time Team digger, Raksha Dave, was taken back in time and spent the show as a mill worker. Unfortunately the cameo was squeezed out of the final edit because there was so much else of interest to cover in the time available.

What did you have to do?

I had to dress and work as a cotton mill factory worker for a day. The idea was that I had to experience the whole process of making cotton as well as get first-hand knowledge of the conditions and what the work was like. I was really keen to do this as I have a very close connection to this period – coming from a Lancashire mill town I was force fed a diet of industrial revolution history at school!

What did it feel like?

It was soooo hard! I think just wearing the costume all day was a task in itself, never mind doing all the hard work. I had to wear a corset and several petticoats – that was before the dress and the pinny went on. I also had a mob cap and of course the obligatory clogs. I would just like to point out that I tried to walk on cobbles with the clogs and this was nigh impossible – how did they do this?

As for the work; I will never again complain when it's raining, wet and muddy outside and I'm having to dig in it. I now understand why there was such a high fatality and accident rate within mills. The work is dangerous, boring, repetitive and the conditions are extremely poor. I would probably have been sacked on the first day for looking out of the windows and inability to keep up with the machines. The costume didn't make the job any easier either as I was extremely restricted in the way I could move. Some of the jobs required you to lift heavy machine parts and drop them into another machine without squishing your fingers – let's just say I was extremely happy to still have all my fingers!

Did you get a better understanding of what mill workers had to do?

Yes, absolutely. I managed to do most of the jobs that show the whole process of manufacturing cotton. I started with carding. This was the most strenuous job, which involved lots of heavy lifting and scary machines, but the one I found most enjoyable – probably because I was good at it. I didn't realise that the cotton went through three machines until it was refined enough to spin. The only downside to this job was the amount of cotton dust it produced. Think of a blizzard, but instead of snow it's cotton. It was pointed out to me that a lot of cotton workers died of lung infections due to inhaling cotton dust and that the conditions were ten times worse than I was experiencing.

The next task I had to do was spinning. I got to work on an original Arkwright's Spinning Mule, which was pretty scary. I had to take my clogs off for this job, as it was dangerous to wear them. There are a series of metal runners on the floor for the machine to move in and out to spin the cotton. During the early periods of using the machine there were reports of fires caused by sparks from clogs striking the runners. From that point on, workers ran the machines barefoot.

I have to say that operating these machines is hard and I was utterly useless! All a worker has to do is to make sure that the threads don't break and if they do you have to mend them – this is called 'piecing'. It sounds easier than it is, though, and in fact it's a highly skilled job. It involves you moving in and out with the machine, grabbing the broken thread when the machine is in its closed position and the bobbins aren't moving, and then gently moving out with the machine, ensuring that your thread doesn't break. While the bobbins are spinning and the machine is fully extended you have to grab the broken thread from the spinning bobbin and twist the two broken ends together.

Sounds simple? Absolutely not! I was very close on numerous occasions to piecing the threads together but I have to admit I didn't even get one. After my teacher had laughed at me he did tell me that it took time to master the job. However it was pointed out that I would have been sacked before I got the chance to practise!

The weaving wasn't too bad but yet again I was warned about the dangers of the job – this time not to stand at one end of the machine as the shuttle might fly out and either give me bad concussion or kill me…

Were there any good parts to the job?

Well I would like to say that I found the whole process fascinating, but if I was being truthful I would have to say no. What an awful job! I only spent a day in Quarry Bank Mill with a minimal amount of machines. The reality of the situation would be working in a dark, deafeningly noisy environment where you were not allowed to talk or have any sort of fun at work. Not to mention the likelihood of losing a limb or dying of lung disease…

What was the worst thing about it?

The worst thing about it was my lunch. Not only did I have to dress up and work like a mill worker, but the evil Time Team crew made me eat a worker's lunch. This consisted of porridge – but not the lovely porridge that you might eat at home, made with milk and a bountiful sprinkle of brown sugar. This was made with water – and cooked so much that it did not resemble porridge so much as a hard gruel! When I asked for a bowl, laughter ensued. I was told that workers did not get a bowl or spoon to eat their porridge. A quantity of porridge was slapped into my right hand and I was told to eat on the job. I have to say that I became suspicious when the crew decided to film over 20 takes of me eating this hideous stuff.

Was it fun, despite all that?

Yes it was fun because I knew I could go home at the end of the day, unlike those poor people who had to work like that for years. It was a great experience, which made me appreciate what people had to go through. It was fun to relive what I had read about in my history classroom.

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Raksha Dave spent her day as a mill worker at the Quarry Bank Mill in the National Trust's Styal Country Estate, near Manchester. Quarry Bank Mill, Quarry Bank Road, Styal, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 4LA. Tel: 01625 527468. Website: www.quarrybankmill.org.uk.

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