Previous names for the Flying Flute have been the Fleece Hotel, Gaiety, Maxims, and Tiger Feet.
Richard Arkwright had a barber's shop in Churchgate before he moved to London and invented his Water Frame. He was married to Patience Holt in St Peter's on March 31st 1755. The plaque above the newsagent reads: Sir Richard Arkwright inventor of the water frame for cotton spinning occupied a shop on this site as a barber and peruke maker from 1760 to 1768. Arkwright used to travel as a peruke (wig) maker to collect hair and, during one such expedition, he met with Kay, a clockmaker, when he got interested in cotton machinery. Using water, he created a yarn known as water twist.
