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Discover a Real Taste of Cheshire...
Three Shires Textile Fair - Part of Textile Festival 2009
Antique and contemporary textile dealers and artists all under one roof at Quarry Bank Mill....
Spinning A Yarn
Exhibition on development of textile manufacture from the earliest time through to the present and how the industry impacted upon...
'A Sampler of Bollington Life'
'A Sampler of Bollington Life' The sampler will be on display for the two weeks, when The Bridgend Centre is...
Inspired
Inspired - Contemporary arts and crafts from local makers, community groups and school children inspired by Thomas Wardle and the...
Three Shires Textile Festival 2009
4th - 19th July 2009
Cheshire - Derbyshire - Staffordshire
A 2-week programme of exhibitions, talks, tours, textile craft fairs, fabric sales, student fashion shows; embracing museums and other attractions, local textile-related businesses, contemporary textile artists and educational establishments. The name is taken from a well known beauty spot in the Peak District called Three Shires Head where Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire meet.
Background
The history of East Cheshire and its surrounding Pennine Edge is rooted in the textile industry. Macclesfield became the centre for silk weaving in England, Quarry Bank Mill in Styal and the mills of Bollington were major cotton spinning and weaving centres at the height of the Industrial Revolution, and Leek, known for its connections with William Morris and Thomas Wardle, at the forefront of textile dying development, is also famous for its Leek Embroidery School. Congleton grew from a thriving market town into a major centre of textile production in the 18th century and many of the residents were mill workers. The skills of fustian cutting, cotton spinning, silk ribbon making and velvet production were all practised in Congleton. The three towns of Leek, Macclesfield and Congleton were and still are known as the 'narrow fabric towns' or 'ribbon towns'.
Many of the churches in the area have fascinating textiles, as do the historic houses in this area - Rode Hall, Capesthorne Hall, Little Moreton Hall, the Mansion at Tatton Park.
The Festival
The festival programme includes two major textile exhibitions at the Silk Museum in Macclesfield, events in Leek to mark the centenary of Thomas Wardle's death, a textile fair at Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, a special exhibition of historic May Queen dresses dating back to the 19th century in Knutsford and a textile art competition, a special textile exhibition at Congleton museum, an Ecclesiastical textiles day at Congleton Town Hall, the Jobling Gowler Prize, as well as many other events.
For the full programme of events click here.
