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From The Warner Textile Archive

May 30, 2015
by the gentle author

Kate Wigley of the Warner Textile Archive in Braintree will be giving a lecture on The Royal Silks of Spitalfields on Tuesday June 9th at 7pm as part of Huguenot Summer in the newly-refurbished Hanbury Hall in Hanbury St. Here are a selection of images from the archive, which owes its origin to the collection of Warner & Sons – a family textile business that was founded by Benjamin Warner in Spitalfields and moved out to Braintree in 1892.

Mr Bunn & Mr Wheeler, weavers that moved from Hollybush Gardens, Bethnal Green, to New Mills in Braintree in 1895

Design by Anna Maria Garthwaite of Spitalfields

Spitalfields hand woven silk, c. 1743

Loughton Border Rulepaper, 1902

Rose Shamrock and Thistle – paper design by Arthur Silver for Princess May, 1891

Rose, Shamrock and Thistle, hand woven silk

Windsor border trials

Jasmine – hand woven silk and gold – for Princess Mary’s intended wedding to Duke of Clarence

Design by Arthur Silver for Princess May, 1894

Hand woven silk for Windsor Castle

Farringdon, hand woven silk with gold and silver

Rose, Shamrock & Thistle, 1880 – 1890, then rewoven for Buckingham Palace, 1923

Reville, hand woven silk with gold and silver for Queen Mary’s coronation

Benjamin Warner (1828-1908)

Images copyright ©Warner Textile Archive

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At Stephen Walters & Sons

At Anna Maria Garthwaite’s House

A Dress of Spitalfields Silk

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6 Responses leave one →
  1. May 30, 2015

    Gorgeous fabrics.

  2. May 30, 2015

    Some really fascinating items!

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  3. sarah permalink
    May 30, 2015

    Wonderful, wonderful Warner fabrics – never itsy bitsy – always glorious colour.

  4. May 30, 2015

    Divine and beautiful it would be interesting to know what the people of spitalfields make today as well as these undoubtedly beautiful examples of the past
    Thank you

  5. Pauline Taylor permalink
    May 30, 2015

    Just beautiful, lovely designs. They knew about class and style then.

    Pauline.

  6. May 31, 2015

    Wonderful to see this article, my first job was as a samples assistant for Warner Fabrics when they were based in Noel Street W1. They still offered some of the original woven silks to order then, beautiful designs in vivid colours. Thanks for this reminder Gentle Author!

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