Heirloom

Heirloom was a collaborative project between Gawthorpe Textile Collection, Queen Street Mill and Researchers from UCLan and was funded by the Arts Council. UCLan Researchers worked in the mill over summer capturing nostalgic personal histories of men who have links to the textile industry.

These stories were used to create a personal narrative and crafted into a unique collection of bespoke shirts. Each shirt produced used authentic mule spun weft Heritage cloth, 2/36 cotton warp woven from the last UK steam powered mill in the world. The shirts were on display in Queen Street Mill over October along with the stories from the men.

Lead researchers for Heirloom project are Bev Lamey and Amanda Odlin-Bates, who are both committed to raising awareness and aiding the development of art and craft skills within the communities around Burnley, and boosting the recognition of the rich textile heritage of East Lancashire and how that relates to the diverse communities across the region. We worked with a group of experienced and talented fashion designers, textile artists, curators, technicians, photographers and historians whose in-depth knowledge has shaped the quality of the final shirts.