The archive contains records generated by the Sun Mill Company Limited. The records of the mill are by no means complete, but those that do survive include information relating to the Board of Directors, the shareholders and to the financial position of the mill. There is also a visitors book and a volume of newspaper cuttings relating to the mill.
However, the archive will be of interest to historians given the important place in the history of the cotton industry which was played by the Sun Mill. The textile industry began to adopt limited liability status on a large scale, following the success of the `Oldham Limiteds', a group of companies modelling themselves on Sun Mill. Prior to the establishment of this ground-breaking business venture, cotton manufacturers had prided themselves on remaining independent of joint-stock ventures.
The collection consists of printed and manuscript material, and contains extracts from newspapers.