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The Silk Weaver

1982 , Braintree (Essex)

Cat no. 200054

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Anglia Television: Bygones Encore programme about the Warner & Sons silk weaving factory in Braintree.

Shot of machines used to weave silk. Presenter of the Bygones Encore series Dick Joice demonstrates the silk measuring machine. He explains how East Anglia used to be the centre of the silk weaving industry. He talks about how they filmed the silk weaving factory Warner & Sons shortly before they packed up. Clip of the silk being dyed followed by John Tibbitts, grandson to Frank Warner, explaining how silk weaving has been in his family for generations. Clip of two men dying green silk. John Tibbitts talks about the history of his family and their role as weavers. Shot of a woman operating the weaving machinery. Close ups of the weaving machinery. John Tibbitts talks about how they have made silk patterns for royalty from all over the world. A shot of a woman weaving silk as John Tibbitts talks about the silk they have made for Buckingham Palace. He then states that they have made silk banners for St Peter's in Rome, for the Orange Parades in Northern Ireland and for Haile Selassie. He explains that he made Queen Elizabeth’s crimson robe that she wore at her coronation. Clip of John Tibbitts using the weaving machines. He says that when he first started at Warner & Sons there wasn’t any electric light and so they had to use candles to see. He talks about one incident where he held the match too close to his work and burnt a hole in the pattern. Close up of him using the foot pedals on the machine. He then talks about how you remove grease if it accidentally drips from the machine onto the silk. Close up of John Tibbitts using a machine as he talks about when everyone found out that the factory was going to close. Camera pans over the Warner & Sons factory and shows the machinery.

Keywords

Arts And Crafts; Factories; Factory Workers; Silk; Silk Weaver; Weaving; Weaving Machines;

Background Information

The “Bygones Encore” series aired in the early eighties. It was a companion to the popular "Bygones" series of programmes that explored East Anglian history and traditional crafts produced for Anglia TV. The textile manufacturer 'Warner & Sons' was credited for putting East Anglia on the map as the centre of the silk weaving industry. Warner & Sons had a reputation for producing high-class furnishing silks and produced textiles for all the royal families in the world, including Haile Selassie and Queen Elizabeth.

Manifestations

The Silk Weaver

  • Sequence Details:
    • Group 1:
      • Part Number: 2
      • Parts Unit: Series

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