Located at Warner’s Mill, Silks Way the Warner Textile Archive is
of national importance but its roots are firmly here in
Braintree.
The archive is a unique record of the history of textile
manufacture and design since the 18th century. It includes every
example of woven and printed fabric produced by the Warner company
as well as examples produced by other companies.
Warner and Sons set up its business in Braintree at New Mills in
1895. Following a series of takeovers in the 1980s the company and
its archive moved to Milton Keynes. In 2005 with the help of the
Heritage Lottery Fund, other major charitable organisations and the
generosity of individual donors the Braintree District Museum
Trust, with the support of Braintree District Council, was able to
return the archive to Braintree to the original site of New Mills.
The site was renamed Warners Mill and given Grade 2 listed
status.
The company’s directors and designers travelled all over the
world promoting Braintree and the fabric being designed and
produced by local people. On their travels they collected fabric
from around the world to use as inspiration for new designs. The
company started buying up rival companies from the 1880s and added
their designs and fabric to what eventually became the Warner
Archive.
Also housed within the archive is an extensive collection of
original artwork by leading designers and major artists who were
commissioned by Warner to produce fabric designs for palaces,
stately homes, liners, hotels as well as ordinary homes.
Influential designers whose work is represented include: John
Aldridge, Edward Bawden, Vanessa Bell, Walter Crane, Marion Dorn,
James Fitton, William Folliott, Alec Hunter, Owen Jones, William
Morris, Marianne Straub, A.W.N Pugin, Arthur Silver, Bruce Talbot
and C.F.A Voysey.
The archive also includes documents and photographs relating to
the history of Warner’s business in Braintree. The archive’s team
is actively collecting information about the Mill and recording
former employees’ memories of working for the company.
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Follow
this link for further information on The Gallery - including some
pictures from the archive.
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For information on opening times, contacts & where to find us
take a look at Practicalities.