Stott

The Stotts were a family of architects from Oldham, North West England, of Scottish descent who specialised in the design of cotton mills. James Stott was the father, Joseph and his elder brother Abraham Stott had rival practices, and in later years did not communicate. Their children continue their practices.
Joseph Stott.
Joseph Stott was born on 25 October 1836 in Oldham, the third son of James Stott and Mary Henthorn. In the Oldham archives are papers relating to mills designed by Joseph and his practice.
George Stott.
The only son of Joseph Stott, George was born in Oldham in 1876. He was educated at Mr Binns' Highfield Academy and Manchester Grammar School. On Joseph Stott's death in 1894 George Stott took over his father's practice, trading as Joseph Stott and Son.
George Stott adopted the triple brick arch system of flooring. His mills are known for their proportions and the meticulous detail of their facades. Manor and Kent Mills in Chadderton are two good examples. Another two are the Pine Mill and the Elm Mill (Newby). Stott designed mills in Ramleh Egypt and Brazil. He was a donor to the British Conservative Party. He died in December 1936.
Abraham Henthorn Stott.
Abraham Henthorn Stott was born on 25 April 1822 in the parish of Crompton. He served a seven-year apprenticeship with Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament and Manchester Art Gallery. He returned to Oldham in 1847 and founded the architectural practice of A H Stott and Sons, and was known for his innovative structural engineering. His brother Joseph Stott started his career here before leaving to start his own practice. After his retirement, the practice was renamed Stott and Sons. Three of his 9 children worked in the practice.
Philip Sydney Stott.
Philip Sydney Stott (Sydney Stott) was the third son of A H Stott. He is regarded as Oldham's greatest architect. He established his own practice, P.S.Stott, in 1883. He was known as Sydney Stott until 1920, but adopted the title Sir Philip Stott on being made a baronet. He benefitted from the innovations made by his father and Edward Potts, another Oldham architect. His first mill design was for Chadderton Mill in 1885. Sydney designed 22 mills in Oldham and 55 elsewhere in Lancashire. His last design was the Maple No 2 in 1915. The mills accounted for 44% of the increase in the spinning capacity of the county between 1887 and 1925, and for 40% of the new spindles laid down in Oldham between 1887 and 1914. His mills accounted for 9 million spindles. He relied on the triple brick arches supported on steel beams favoured by George Stott, rather than concrete.
Stott was a Conservative and a freemason, he was president of the Oldham Lyceum and played rugby for Oldham Football Club. He held several directorships in the cotton-spinning industry. He moved to Stanton Court, Gloucestershire (near Broadway, Worcestershire), in 1913, where he became a Justice of the Peace and, in 1925, High Sheriff of Gloucester. He died in 1937.
James Stott.
James was a younger brother of Abraham Henthorn Stott, the son of James Stott. He set up a heating, ventilation, and catering equipment business that trades as "Stotts of Oldham".
Abraham Stott and Son.
Abraham Stott and Son, set up by Abraham Stott, a cousin of Abraham Henthorn Stott, was a cotton-spinning company operating Osborne mill. Abraham Stott had a reputation for fairness and was nicknamed 'Honest Abe'. He invested in a clipper ship that traded with the confederate forces during the cotton famine; it was captured by the Union forces.
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