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Textiles
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Silk
production began in Leek and the surrounding
area as a cottage industry in the 1670s and
moved into factory production in the 17th and
18th centuries. One of the first important
textile figures was William Badnall: he used
water from the River Churnet to dye mohair in
1725 and went on to branch out into all areas of
the silk industry.
In 1881 Thomas Wardle, son of the silk dyer
Joshua Wardle, set up Wardle & Co. The
company imported indian silks and carried out
printing and dying and supplied a number of
leading retailers including Liberty & Co.
Between 1875 and 1877 Thomas Wardle carried out
a number of dying experiments for William Morris
and printed some of his earliest designs. Wardle
was also a founding member of the Silk
Association and his wife, Elizabeth Wardle,
founded the Leek Embroidery School in 1879.
Silk production came to an end in Leek in 1994
but a number of companies continue to produce
industrial textiles in the area.
Want to know more about Thomas Wardle and the
Leek textile industry?
Visit The Victorian Web pages at http://65.107.211.206/art/design/textiles/wardle.html
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