Hanne Dahl – Cloth and design in Trowbridge’s Weaving Mills

Some examples of clothing and cloth labels. (Trowbridge Camera Club.)

Trowbridge has been known for producing high quality woven cloth from medieval times right up until the last weaving mill fell silent in 1982. Today Trowbridge Museum holds a large collection of cloth made in these mills that so dominated the townscape in the past. Over the last two years the Museum’s Collections and Exhibitions Officer Hanne Dahl has been conducting extensive research exploring the story of this cloth; the different types of cloth, the designers and its destination after leaving the mills. In this talk Hanne will share some of her recent research, including how the mills worked with iconic fashion names like Mary Quant.