The Warner Textile Archive holds the collection from furnishing fabrics manufacturing company, Warner & Sons. Warner & Sons, as a business as we know it, was formed in 1870 by Benjamin Warner who was descended from a line of scarlet dyers from Spitalfields. From relatively humble beginnings in the textile industry, Warner & Sons would go on to become one of the most respected furnishing silk manufacturers in the UK.
Warner & Sons would eventually dominate the fine furnishing fabrics industry in the UK. In 1885 the company purchased rival firm, Norris & Co. and in 1895 took on the assets of Daniel Walters & Sons, a well-respected silk manufacturer, with a large factory complex in Braintree known as New Mills. Through the acquisition of Daniel Walters & Sons, Warner & Sons moves production to Braintree.
Alongside Courtaulds, Warner & Sons were instrumental in making Braintree and the surrounding area famous for textile manufacturing. From 1895, when they took over the Braintree factory from Walters, until 1971 Warners had a major presence in the town. The Warner Textile Archive now houses the largest textile manufacturing archive in the UK. See a selection of designs and discover the history of Warner & Sons at Braintree Museum.
Through the purchase of Norris & Co. and Daniel Walters & Sons, Warner & Sons inherited many significant customers, including royalty. Designing and manufacturing fabric for several royal weddings, taking on the responsibility of the fabrics required for many royal coronations, along with supplying fabrics for palace re-decoration, Warners cemented their reputation for design excellence and superior quality throughout the late-nineteenth century. Expanding their range of geometric designs, and experiments with new materials, in the 1930s Warner & Sons broadened their appeal. Alongside traditional silks, Warner & Sons also included modern designs in the 1960s inspired by popular culture and current events, including the moon-landing in 1969. Known for employing the best and brightest designers and production specialists, New Mills in Braintree was a hub of creativity for almost 80 years.
Key designers represented in the Warner Textile Archive include Dora Batty, Edward Bawden, Frank Davies, Marion Dorn, Alec Hunter, Owen Jones, Theo Moorman, William Morris, Arthur Silver, Eddie Squires, Marianne Straub, Bruce Talbert, Bertrand Whittaker and Herbert Woodman.
More information about the Warner Textile Archive here: https://www.warnertextilearchive.co.uk/
