Your Itinerary Planner
Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.
Discover a Real Taste of Cheshire...
Land of the Churnet Project
Borderland Voices 'Land of the Churnet' Project - Two Silk Painting workshops with Anne Hancock....
Extraordinary Costumes, Extraordinary Lives
On display in this atmospheric Tudor building are costumes from, Tibet, a traditional costume donated by Sir Jack Longland, educator,...
Mill Walks and Industrial Yarns
Guided Walk around Congleton looking at Congleton's textile heritage. Depart from Museum 2pm
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Dressing the May Queen - A Right Royal Event
A special exhibition of May Queen constumes dating back to 1887, the year in which Knutsford's May Day earned its...
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.
