The Industrial Revolution significantly influenced artists in the UK, prompting them to reflect on its societal impacts. Artists like Gustave Doré and William Morris depicted both the human cost of industrialisation and the need for beauty in everyday objects. This led to a new artistic consciousness, blending critique with a quest for meaning.… Read More Art After Industry: The Gaze That Responds
Image Credit: Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash “Flags are not just symbols—they are textiles of memory. Woven, stitched, dyed, and flown, they carry the weight of collective identity and the quiet resonance of personal meaning. For nations, flags declare sovereignty. For communities, they signal solidarity. For individuals, they often evoke longing, pride, or protest.”… Read More flags: textiles of memory, Identity & contested meaning
From superstition and stigma to celebration and skill Left-handedness has long carried cultural weight—far beyond which hand holds the pen. For centuries, it’s been viewed with suspicion, framed as a weakness, or romanticised as a mark of creativity and talent. Clean vs. Unclean in Ancient Cultures In many ancient societies, hands were not equal. In… Read More the cultural history of left-handedness
While Hyde is best known for its cotton mills, coal mining played a crucial role in the town’s development — especially in and around the village of Gee Cross. The area sits atop part of the Manchester Coalfield, and coal seams were commercially exploited to fuel local industry. Coal in the Hyde Area From the… Read More mining hyde & gee cross: the hidden depths of hyde’s industrial heritage
On the evening of January 3, 1831, Thomas Ashton, a 24-year-old mill manager from Hyde, Greater Manchester, was fatally shot while out walking from his residence at Pole Bank to Apethorn Mill. This act of violence occurred during a period of significant social and economic upheaval in England, marked by the Industrial Revolution and the… Read More the murder of thomas ashton: a tragic chapter in industrial england
The history of Greater Manchester is layered and complex, but one often-overlooked aspect of its administrative past is the Salford Hundred — a term that once defined a vast and influential region in south-east Lancashire, long before the modern city boundaries we know today. What Was a ‘Hundred’? In medieval England, a hundred was an… Read More the salford hundred: a forgotten division of northern england
During the height of the suffragette movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, poetry played a vital—though often underappreciated—role in both articulating protest and nurturing solidarity. While much attention is given to marches, arrests, and political speeches, the era was also rich with verse: lyrical, angry, hopeful, and deeply personal. Poetry was not… Read More voices of defiance: poetry in the suffragette movement
(Disclaimer below) Growing up in a country where Catholicism is deeply embedded in both public life and private rituals, it’s almost impossible not to be shaped—visually, emotionally, and culturally—by its symbolism. From childhood baptisms to funeral masses, the Catholic imagination permeates everyday life in ways both subtle and profound. For many artists, including myself and… Read More the power and weight of catholic symbolism
Artist: George Frederic WattsDate: Circa 1848–1850Medium: Oil on canvasLocation: Tate Britain, LondonDimensions: 864 × 508 mm About the Painting Found Drowned portrays the lifeless body of a young woman washed up under a bridge in the River Thames. The setting is dark and desolate. The figure lies draped in wet, clinging fabric. A faint city… Read More found drowned (1848-1850) – george frederic watts
There’s something so evocative about the phrase “threads of memory.” I love how it captures the way fabric can hold stories, a narrative—whether it’s a scrap of cloth from a loved one’s garment or a hand-stitched detail that has been passed down through generations. It reminds me that textiles are not just materials; they’re keepers… Read More threads of memory: the connection between storytelling textiles & heritage-driven design
Rachel Bakewell 