Bottom Roller Eccentricity Tester in wooden box, made by The Shirley Institute, Didsbury, Manchester, 1950-1970.

This bottom roller eccentricity tester is a piece of testing equipment used on textile machinery. It measures the constancy of the wall thickness of cylinders such as tubes, pipes, or in the this case, rollers used in the textile industry.

The Shirley Institute was founded in 1920. The world-leading textiles research centre applied academic research and engineering principles to the measurement of textiles. They researched new and experimental fabrics at their Didsbury premises, the Towers, and later in Trafford Park, Manchester.

The Shirley Institute merged with the Wool Industries Research Association in 1989 forming the British Textile Technology Group (BTTG). BTTG company now test, audit and certifies textiles from around the world, ranging from Formula 1 racing suits and firefighters’ uniforms to clothing and upholstery sold by high street retailers.