Tel:01282 698662
Fax:01282 694267
sales@acornfabrics.co.uk
Acorn Fabrics (Cumbria) Ltd    
13 Kenyon Road, Lomeshaye Estate
Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 5SP   
of England
Arther Chatburn founder of Acorn Fabrics visiting a mill in japan in 1960.
Mill manager Arther Hartley with taklers and weavers, in front of northrop s model looms
Drawing & twisting department, showing sized warps and warps with healds ready for the looms.
The story begins in the early 1900's when , to meet the demand for quality shirting fabric, a Lancashire cotton mill
started weaving and finishing 100% two fold cotton, primarily for gentlemen's bespoke shirts.  
A.R. Chatburn viewing an Eexperimental loom in 1960.
During this period in history, in this region, there were numerous mills and at
its peak there would have been more than 80 mills producing cotton fabrics.
At that time most of the mills were weaving heavier cloths, many contracts
granted by the government for the war effort. Post war, there was a period of
prosperity but 1920 saw the beginning of a depression that would last for
almost 2 decades.
Steam engines used to power a thousend looms.
During the 1940's and the 1950's, the Chatburn Mill recognised that it was
time to change direction  from weaving individual contracts to developing a
range of shirtings that were supplied from stock. This move to trade "up
market" and supply a "stock service" allowed the mill to survive whilst
many others closed.
acorn