Local History

Yesterday I took a trip to the Warner’s Textile Archive in Braintree. It is usually only open to organised groups, but I was lucky to find a day advertised which was available to individuals. There was a talk about the history of the textile industry in Braintree, and the opportunity to look at some of the items in the archive. I was particularly interested to hear about the development of weaving in the area, plus the various designers they had worked with. One of them was Owen Jones, who I know of as primarily from architecture, through his book ‘The Grammar of Ornament’ which was published in the 1860s, and was referenced by the Arts and Crafts movement . They also spoke about the silk mills in Sudbury, some of which are still in operation today, where I purchase some silk for my hats. No photographs were allowed, so I purchased this postcard, which will have to suffice!
I am thinking there may be a marketing opportunity in the future, locally produced hats with locally woven silk.