“A Right mishmash of everybody”: The Characters of Sunny Banks Mills

Now that you’ve worked here for a while, let me tell you about life here that’s not just working at the mill. Of course, you’re likely to have your family around, home in Farsley and here at the mill.

Me, for example, my aunties work here as a spinner and twister, my cousin’s a mender and so is my wife. My father, well he was also a pattern weaver like us, it’s in the blood. And the upbringing I suppose. My father would bring me down to the pattern weaving room when I was young, must have been four or five years old, and give me a little hammer to bang pegs with. I’d sit on the floor with him to give my grandmother a rest from taking care of me.

But the mill, we’re a bit of a bigger family, I suppose. It’s not just work we do together, we grew up together, came from the same school year and worked together, played together. On Fridays the girls go into the toilets when they aren’t supposed to and let Launa pluck their eyebrows with the burlers. They dance in there too, learn the waltz because lots of them also go to Porridge, the dance school just over the road, doing dance competitions and the like. Though one of the older ladies always turfs them out, ‘back to work’ she says.

The lads, on the other hand, play cricket together on Wednesday evenings. We have a team and everything and play against other mills in the area and beyond. Just last week we played a team all the way from Bradford and despite only having one pitch we got three wickets! John’s wife makes them sandwiches for after although they will always end up in the Liberal Club and have a pint – it’s only a shilling how could you not!

Of course, the best day of the year is when Mr Gaunt pays for a trip up to Scarborough or even across to Blackpool. We set off early in the morning from the mill on buses and we’ll be by the sea for lunch. You can spend the day however you like, by the sea, with an ice cream if you want, just be back and ready to go by six o’clock or we’ll be leaving you behind. Now I’ll be the first one to say that chips by the sea is definitely better than fish and chip Friday in the canteen, but don’t let the canteen lady hear that, she’s a bit of a tyrant, she’s one of those that you can’t argue with.

But even on the days when we are at the mill, working life can still be filled with the little moments of joy too, even around the physical labour. At Christmas we’ll have a fuddle of course, we’ll each bring food to contribute, it can be homemade, the trimmings, that’s what we always do. We’ll loop some coloured paper together too and decorate the shed, maybe even put up some lights. The tables we’ll spread together and put the food out on them and just eat and drink. I like the music personally, we’ll sing carols and songs, having a jolly good time really, it’s just the department coming together to have a good time.

I expect you’ll know that music isn’t just a seasonal thing though, with all the singing the girls do in mending. There’s no entertainment, as you well know, but we can sing all the popular songs for a bit whilst we work; the girls like to put their hair down for it too. Although Albert will put a stop to it after a while, ‘get on with your work, that’s enough now.’ I suppose it’s a good way to learn a lot of these modern songs now. You’ll recognise that one though, listen out for it, it must be someone’s birthday downstairs. You best go join them now and then get back to work, we have much to be getting on with today.

Thanks to:  Laura Barnes

Digital Heros Volunteer working in collaboration with Heritage Network

https://www.heritagenetwork.org.uk/

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