Sunny Bank Mills Ltd in Farsley, near Leeds, is delighted to have been awarded £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its project ‘Threads of War: The Story of First World War Khaki’, which has been made possible by National Lottery players through HLF’s First World War ‘Then and Now’ programme. #HLFsuppoted The focus of this project is on the ordinary and the extraordinary life of cloth and the individuals who made and were affected by khaki production in a textile mill. Our project is inspired by the Guard books in the collection: these are the reference books which detail the cloth produced at Sunny Bank Mills from 1829 till 2008 by year and season, with order references. The books contain the narrative of cloth production by this prestigious worsted manufacturer, who produced the finest worsted cloth of its day.
To mark the Centenary of the First World War, this project will enable local people to learn more about the importance of Farsley and its community in the Great War. The aims are to develop opportunities for sharing and highlighting findings from these unique books; and researching and gathering evidence of what life was like for the local population. An exhibition will show case the findings, including pop-up performances communicating workers’, Mill, and community lives. There will also be a programme of local school workshops using artefacts to explore the role of children in Farsley during the War, and to discover what life was like. Many of the events will be open to those involved in research, the local and wider community, media, and general public, providing a unique opportunity to delve into the ordinary and the extraordinary life of cloth and the individuals who made and were affected by khaki production at the Mill. So watch this space for forth coming events.
Back To Blog Next (New Collections in the Archive) Prev (New Archive Banner)Tags
General Museum & Archive Arts & Culture