The English Sewing Cotton Company Scrapbook

  Crafting magazines in the late 60s were embracing man made textiles, emphasising the ease in which they could be turned into clothes, and the subsequent ease in which these garments could be cared for. Not that you needed to look after them that carefully, everything was so cheap you could just make another at the drop of a nylon zip. It had never been so easy to be in fashion.  

  From a 1952 needlework magazine, when ladies were encouraged to make their home as beautiful as possible using their skills. The aspiration was dainty with a slight French accent.

 If you take a trip down the A6 south from Matlock, you can’t fail to miss Masson Mills. Built by Sir Richard Arkwright ‘s company in 1783, the cotton mill was deliberately constructed to stand out. Back then, the majority of Derbyshire buildings were constructed of local stone. Arkwright chose red brick for his new mill – a big sore thumb next to the Derwent. It showed off just how rich he had become on the proceeds of his cotton spinning. There is a ring attached to one of the internal walls which is reputedly where Arkwright tied his horse when he came to inspect the works. They say that if you touch it, you will become as rich as he was! Today, the mill buildings are a museum and heritage centre, and guided tours currently take place on Thursdays and Fridays. I decided to join one of these, as I thought it could be a source of ESCC information. Masson Mills became part of the ESCC combine when the grouping took place in 1897, and remained operational until 1991. I was very plea...