Object number
97/103/2
Description
A length of fine-spun cream-coloured linen thread twisted to form a hank, used for damask weaving. It came to MERL along with a piece cream-coloured hand-woven linen made from hand-spun thread. The cloth was made in the 1920s at The Lawn in Reading, a large house built in 1910 which is now a hotel. The cloth (and presumably the thread also) had previously been given to Reading Museum, and then made its way to the Lake District before being donated to MERL.
Physical description
length of thread: good condition
Archival history
MERL ‘Handwritten accession form’ (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Standard museum name: LINEN CLOTH + THREAD // Accession number: 97/103/1–3 // … // Recorder: JMB // Date: 20.7.99 // Description: (1) A length of hand woven linen made from hand spun thread. Cream/beige colour. // (2) Length of fine spun linen thread twisted to form a hank. Same colour as the cloth. (Inscription: Fine weft for damask weaving) // (3) Small hank of darker, more coarsely spun thread // Dimensions: Width of cloth: 75.0 cm // Not unrolled so length uncertain. // Large hank: 51.0 cm // Small hank: 38.0 cm // Associated information: This cloth was made at The Lawn, Reading. It is a large house built in 1910 and owned until 1922 by Ernest Ash. It is now a hotel. The cloth may have been made as a hobby in the 1920’s when there was a revival of handicrafts. // The cloth was given to Reading Museum but for some reason was removed from there and came into the possession of Penelope Porter who wove linen in The Lake District. After her death it came into the possession of Patricia Baines (A Berks. Guild of spinners & Weavers’ member) who gave it to the donor to give to MERL.’
Production place
Bath Road [Reading]
Production date
1920-01-01 - 1929-12-31
Production period
1920s
Object name
Material
Associated subject
