Textiles Today

Photographs: Laxtons’ state-of-the-art spinning machinery in Baildon by Tim Smith

Two years ago [in 2022], I saw this job. And I rang them up and said ‘I’m looking for a job as a textile spinner.’ They interviewed me, and they told me, ‘Oh, this is the machine, test it out.’ Even though I haven’t done it for about 40 years, I still know how to do it. And they says to me, ‘When do you want to start?’ I says, ‘I’ll start now!’ So I started the next day and I’m very satisfied. I feel so relaxed and it’s a lot of fun.

Jahangir Ahmed,

Spinner, West Yorkshire Spinners, Keighley

Today’s Textile Landscape

The textile landscape in Bradford today is notably different in scale compared to the 20th century. Back then, the city was bustling with numerous large-scale textile mills that employed a significant portion of the population. However, whilst the scale of textile production in Bradford has reduced, there has been a shift towards more sustainable and ethically produced textiles, reflecting changing consumer preferences and global trends. Additionally, advancements in technology have revolutionized the manufacturing processes, making them more efficient and cost-effective. The industry has also diversified its product range, focusing on niche markets and high-quality goods to stay competitive in the global market. These changes highlight the industry’s ability to adapt to modern demands and challenges, marking a notable departure from the traditional practices of the late 20th century.

For a visual representation of the density of textile companies currently operating compared to the 1970s, please refer to the Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions Map under Local Area Studies.

Wyedean Weaving's Machinery in Haworth Photo: Tim Smith

Wyedean Weaving's Machinery in Haworth by Tim Smith

Pride Working in Bradford’s Textiles

Interviewee: Rebecca Ough

Rebecca Ough | Transcript

I think it’s a really good career path is textiles and I do think that sometimes it’s overlooked in this area, but it’s a really growing industry. A lot of the really good textile companies in the area tend to be family run, have a really good, sort of, community. And yeah, everyone I’ve worked with in textiles is really sort of interested and engaged in what they’re doing and do have a feeling of, yeah, pride about what they’re making because it’s, I think it’s… it is such a craft and a skill. And I think there’s so many different career options within textiles, like engineering, like mechanical engineering is a really big thing in textiles. So it’s not just the design side, it’s like, there’s a whole spectrum of different jobs in textiles.

Photograph: Carolyn Mendelsohn and Textile Artists of A Cloth for the Lost Mills

Interviewees: Hannah Lamb and Hannah Robson

Hannah Lamb and Hannah Robson| Transcript

HL: Hi, I’m Hannah Lamb and I’m a lecturer in textiles, but I’m also a textile artist. And my background is in stitched textiles, but I also do quite a lot of mixed media and printed textiles. And I’ve been teaching and working in the Bradford area for the past 20 years. And I’m just really fascinated with all aspects of textiles, I suppose.
HR: I’m Hannah Robson. I also teach with Hannah at Bradford School of Art. I’m a weaver and my background has been fully in weave in all sorts of different ways. And I teach woven textiles. And I’ve been recently obsessed with jacquard weaving, which is a strong part of the project.

A Close up of A Cloth for the Lost Mills

The Inspirations for Layering Cultures

Interviewees: Alison Welsh

Alison Welsh| Transcript

I’ve got a background in fashion design, so I knew that clothes were going to be an important part of this and what people wore in the mills to keep themselves warm because it was often cold. But also just the feeling of the 1970s and the flares and a 1970s shirt that’s see-through. I wanted a see-through 70s shirt to be included. Not that they would have worn that in the mill, I suppose! But because it’s white and it’s quite translucent I wanted it to feel sort of quite lightweight and transient. And because there’s a skylight above the piece I wanted to play with the light so that you could kind of see through it and give you an insight into the slightly ghostly quality on the ghost mills that the project is about.

Nabeela Ahmed's Poetry on Layering Cultures by Tim Smith

The textile industry in Bradford, once a vibrant hub of manufacturing and innovation, has undergone significant transformations over the years. Today, the legacy of Bradford’s textile heritage continues to influence the city’s economic and cultural landscape. The resilience and adaptability of the industry has paved the way for new opportunities and developments in Bradford’s textile sector. Let’s delve deeper into the current state of Bradford’s textile industry and explore the innovations and challenges it faces in the modern era.

The Modern Designing Method

Photograph: Wyedean Weaving at Bridgehouse Mills by Tim Smith | Interviewee: Rebecca Ough

Rebecca Ough | Transcript

My loom is semi computerized, so I do a lot of my design work on a computer, but a lot of the time actually it starts off with squared paper and I’m drawing out patterns before inputting it onto my computer. I guess it’s like the same process on a computer like I’ve got a grid which I’m drawing squares on so it’s still the same process, not much has changed in terms of that.

The Truth Behind ‘Designed in Britain'

Interviewee: Kate Rawnsley

Kate Rawnsley | Transcript

You’ll often see, well it will say, ‘Designed in Britain.’ It’s not made in Britain; it’s just designed in Britain. So basically, you will do your design on the computer, wing it over to Indonesia or India or China where it gets woven, and they can be weaving it within the hour. Which is just mind-blowing. It’s incredible. But this is globalisation.

Practical Skills for Future Generations

Photograph: Elisabeth and Michael Mitchell with Hand Loom

Elisabeth Mitchell | Transcript

It saddens me. Because, as I say, around the corner there, I do hand spinning… and it does sadden me that…I’m not being sentimental… but we’re losing skills. And I know we don’t need to know how to do hand spinning and things like that now. But once these people have gone, people will no longer understand how things were processed. Or even how to use wool or fabric. I mean, you’ll see up there I still do a lot of craftwork, knitting and making things, and that. And it saddens me that all those things will be lost. Two of our granddaughters,…well, all three… have learned how to knit in a fashion, and use a sewing machine and things. But I don’t think their children will. And they’ll say, ‘Well it’s just an old fashion thing.’

Lost Mills Textile Commissions

509 Arts commissioned two textile pieces by three local artists for the Saltaire Arts Trail, in partnership with Saltaire Inspired, in May 2024. These were proudly displayed in the loft space of Salts Mill before relocating to their permanent home at Bradford Industrial Museum.

A Cloth for the Lost Mills was created by Hannah Lamb and Hannah Robson. It is a large-scale woven and printed cloth, made in Bradford and inspired by site visits to lost textile mills. Drawing on a deep respect for the skill, experience and dexterous hands of textile workers, the cloth combines motifs from mill buildings and archive imagery. Included in this piece was photography by Carolyn Mendelsohn, of the cloth draped at former textile mill sites.

Layering Cultures by Alison Welsh is a multi-layered textile artwork based on the accounts of Bradford millworkers, including the voices of the many migrant workers who came to work in the mills, and poetry from Nabeela Ahmed in both English and Pahari. It focuses on the clothing worn in the mills from the 1970’s onwards, referencing photographs of a cross-section of millworkers and bringing together a mix of cultures through their personal memories and life experiences. It takes the form of a bolt of cloth incorporating sections of garments, combining text, assemblage, hand stitching and machine stitching to examine and embody the social aspects of Bradford’s industrial legacy.

Alison Welsh and Layering Cultures by Tim Smith

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Lost Mills & Ghost Mansions

Photograph: UNSPUN by Tim Smith How To Use LOREM Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions was made in partnership with Bradford Community Broadcasting and you can find the radio programmes that we made together here. The project was funded by Bradford Council, the National...

Ghost Mansions

I know that Robert Clough - he had a big mansion, and he donated a Christmas tree for the people of Keighley one year. Well, I won't be swayed on this at all. Particularly on a Friday night, when everybody else had gone home,...

Do It Yourself

Photograph: Alan Dix | Sangat Centre at Bradford Industrial Museum I think what people should do is show an interest in local history because one day (and I hope this never happens) there won’t be people like you, and there won’t be people like me, who...

Mediawall

Photo by unknown IPLost Mills & Ghost Mansions Media WallLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation...

Changing Ways

Photograph: Mark Stevenson | Dalton Mill and Clock Tower I could see at that time that the mills were starting to close around Keighley all over the town and I thought ‘I need to be moving on somewhere’ and that's when I left in 1975 and joined the fire service....

Time Off

Photograph: Jaz OldhamPhotograph: Harold Heppleston and Colleagues from Kellett Woodman, shared by daughter Patricia CrabtreePhotograph: In Saltaire there were lots and lots of foreign people. There were hundreds from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, like me. Everyone...

Research & Map

Photograph: I grew up next to Marriner’s and I actually watched it burn down. It would have been in the ‘70s. I was in my grandma's house when the fire started ‘cos she lived round the corner. And I watched it burn down stood next to Dr Who off the telly at the time....

Rights & Wrongs

Photographs: Bill Morris, former General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union (centre) and Muhammad Rasab (right), one of the leaders in the racial discrimination complaints against John Haggas Ltd, onstage at the Trade Union Congress Annual...

Diverse workforce

Photograph: Bradford Museums & GalleriesPhotograph: Bradford Museums & GalleriesPhotograph: Jazz Oldham The supervisors were white, whilst the machinists were Asians: Pakistani, Bengali and Indians. All very friendly. People looked out for each other and...

Working life

Photograph: Tim Smith | Lifting hanks of wool from a dyeing vat at Harrison Gardner and Company in Bradford. Established in 1901 the firm are dyers for the carpet, hand knitting and hosiery industries.Yorkshire has always been at the centre of England’s first great...