On a chilly but sunny morning in February fifteen SPAG members gathered at the site of Broad Oak Printworks, the most important calico printworks in Accrington and once the largest printworks in Britain.. Founded in 1792 as bleaching crofts, the works were taken over by Thomas Hargreaves and Adam Dugdale and in 1813 an early printworks was established. Seven waterwheels originally provided the power and after 1816 steam power was introduced.

Block printing on calico cloth was superseded in 1785 by roller printing.  Engraved copper rollers took the place of wooden blocks and a day’s work could be done in minutes. Technical improvements such as the invention of mercerisation by John Mercer of Great Harwood led to a steady development in style and finish.

Elspeth told us that her uncle, Rex Whinfield, invented Terylene at Broad Oak between 1939 and 1944.  There are still research laboratories on the site today which has been taken over and modernised by the Vita Group who develop and manufacture polyurethane foam products.

After our walk we had lunch at Mr Gatty’s Tea Room in Elmfield Hall, once the home of Frederick Gatty, an expert in dyeing and printing cloth.  Gatty was invited over to England from his native France by Frederick Steiner after he had invented a way of fixing a deep red dye known as Gatty Red or Turkey Red.