We are the largest publicly owned collection from a luxury textile manufacturer in the UK. The Archive is housed in the original Warner & Sons mill in Braintree
U is for our unnamed designs
This copperplate printed on cotton is by Petitpierre & Cie of Nantes, France and dates from the late 18th century
The pattern was reproduced by Warners up until the 1980s.
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Last tickets remaining for our exclusive Behind the Scenes Tour of the Warner Textile Archive
Exploring new discoveries, paper designs, opulent silks and luxurious furnishing fabrics
The tour after this won't be till October so grab the opportunity now!
🎟️ https://t.co/gfXox2Cpi5
1953, Lily Lee and Hilda Carver come out of retirement for a very special project.
They had been asked to weave 30 yards of Royal purple velvet for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation
Meanwhile, other Warner staff were busy creating other textiles for this very special day
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1937, Miss Lily E. Lee is asked to weave weave 41 yards of royal purple velvet for the coronation robes of the Duchesses of York, Kent and Gloucester. About ½ a yard was woven each day by Lily and her colleague Mrs Calver who operated a second hand loom.
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1925, 📸'Kenilworth' is an example of three-pile velvet. Originally woven in 1916, it was displayed at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley. At the Paris Exhibition Frank Warner received the award of the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit!
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Braintree's oldest weaver, John Makin dies aged 82. John was born in Sudbury in 1840, also the son of a silk weaver.
Said to be of a kind temperament, he was held in high reverence amongst the company.
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1916, members of the silk association, including its president Frank Warner, gathered to discuss wartime trade
However, Frank also wanted to discuss his own invention - a luxurious three-pile velvet
Sadly, the technique and machinery used to make it, died with him in 1930
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P is for Pavlova
Designed by Contessa Friedlinde di Colbertaldo Dinzl and is a screen-printed cotton
The design was purchased in 1967 from freelance di Colbertaldo Dinzl, who worked from her studio on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy
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1911, Thomas Wheeler was responsible for weaving the cloth of gold for King George V's coronation robes
He worked at Waters before Warner's purchased the company. Was a member of the Worshipful Company of Silk Weavers and a Freeman of the City of London.
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1911, Warner's displayed work at the Turin Exhibition
Judges took 2 years to decide winners! But worth the wait for Warners with many staff members receiving diplomas.
Designer Mr B. Whittaker (📸2 left), received a silver medal
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O is for Orbis
Designed by Sally Maltby in 1972 and based on an early map of the world from around 1605
This design is also available as a greetings card in our Museum Shop and online https://t.co/RsnDhiYJkp
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Despite the death of their founder, 1908 was a good year for Warner's. They received a 'grand prix' for every piece of fabric shown at the Franco-British Exhibition in Shepherd's Bush. 🧵🏆
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