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2nd December 2016
Merton Abbey Mills actually takes it’s name from Merton Priory which was one of the most important monasteries of the middle ages. Built in the early 12th century, an Augustinian Priory, Eleanor of Provence (Henry III’s Queen) and King Henry VI were both crowned at Merton Abbey. Walter de Merton (who founded Oxford’s Merton College) and Thomas Becket were also both educated here.
Textile mills were attracted to River Wandle by 1600, due to the power the water provided, but also because the water had a special balance of a chalk stream which was suited to textile creation for washing, dyeing and printing. By 1792 the river was actually one of the hardest working rivers in the whole of Europe as various print works moved to the banks.
During this time, the textile industry in the UK was booming; with the population increasing and the British Empire expanding, the demand for cotton and therefore cotton factories were increasing, becoming a dominant feature of the Pennines. It was a great industry for the population; prior to industrialisation, many families had been working in the domestic system, especially in the North of England, and so there was a ready supply of talented weavers and spinners.
The printing industry in the Wandle Valley was no different, attracting workers from all over the country and because of the hive of workers, it was here that many techniques in printing were created and developed upon. Once established in the textile industry, today, England sadly sees most of their textiles imported due to lower costs. However, there are still mills in England, and we’re very happy to say that all our fabrics are printed in the UK, and all our products manufactured here too.
William Morris moved his company to the site on The River Wandle due to the conditions being perfect for his needs designing and printing his textiles. He was at Merton Abbey from 1881 to 1888, here he created some of his most iconic designs for which he is remembered for today. If you’ve read into Morris, you’ll know he was very interested in Socialism, it was actually during his time at Merton Abbey that he became more involved in the ideals.
“…I do not want art for a few; any more than education for a few; or freedom for a few… ” – William Morris
An admirable trait of Morris was that he didn’t just write or speak about his beliefs, he acted upon them; paying his workers higher wages than the average, supplied a library for their education, provided a safe, healthy and enjoyable workplace. For apprentice boys, he even provided accommodation whilst they learnt their craft.
Some of our favourite designs were created at Merton Abbey, amongst them, Willow Bough, one of our latest licensed designs!
Posted in William Morris by Laura
Get ready for flower arranging class with us 🌷 Our beautiful Willow Bough William Morris pvc apron is perfect to protect your outfit from splashes when cooking, crafting or cutting your stems! 🌿🫶🏻
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We couldn’t resist another pic of our bonfire night set up! 🫶🏻 our PVC fabric is such a popular option for the table as it’s wipe clean, so any spills can just be quickly fixed 🫧 We wouldn’t reccomend lighting sparklers in the house or over your tablecloth though! 🙃
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #morrisdesign #bonfirenight #tablescape #floraltable #myfloraldays
🎆 Take 15% off our whole website for 48 hours only using code: BONFIRE at checkout 🔥 (we’ve also launched gift sets including half metre gift sets for the quilters and crafters in your life, you get a half metre free when you purchase the set and they come gift wrapped… this is is soft launching Christmas Incase everyone says we’re too early.. but also our Christmas trees are already up so we’re ready to talk about it when you are? Let us know?) 🎄
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #discountcode #bonfirenight #christmasflorals
Had to video us cutting beautiful William Morris Willow Bough today, this heavyweight fabric is off to be made into curtains, it’ll look so stunning! 🫶🏻 If you’d like a free sample just let us know ☺️
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #preraphaelite #floraldesign #fabrics #curtainfabric #ukbusiness
Just waiting for the trick or treaters 🎃
On the table; our William Morris Daisy napkin and placemats 🫶🏻
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #florals #halloween #halloweendecor #daisy #floraldesign #preraphaelite #burleighpottery
Turning Charlotte Rose Halloween-y with our little pumpkin napkin fold 🎃
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#tablescape #tablesettings #frenchfloral #frenchflorals #frenchdesign #williammorris #independentbusiness #ukbusiness #charlotterose #florals #napkinfolding #halloweentable
Proving there’s nothing Bertie won’t do for a biscuit, he’s ready for a Halloween party 🎃 As a treat for all our Instagram friends, take 15% off our entire website until Halloween with code: AUTUMN 🍂
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #compton #williammorrisdesign #labrador #labstagram #halloweendog #halloweendogcostume #halloweendogs🎃👻🐶 #dogsofinstagram #lablife #lablife🐾
Spend a Friday evening with us settling down for a little cheese board✨ Our Mallow William Morris design is always so stunning 🥰
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#tablescape #tablesettingideas #cheeseboardsoftiktok #tablescape #williammorris #morris #preraphaelite #countrykitchen #mallow
We could never admit to how long it took us to fold our Compton napkin into a pumpkin 😮💨🎃
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #floraldesign #preraphaelite #compton #napkinfolding
Halloween, but make it floral 🍂✨🎃
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #willowbough #halloweentable #halloweentablescape #pumpkinfloral #pumpkinflower
A very Pimpernel breakfast! 🍂 We love mix and matching Pimpernel Cream and Green 🫶🏻
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabric #pimpernel #floraltable #floraldesign #florals
A pvc tablecloth is fantastic as it simply wipes clean which often makes it our top pick for meal times, they come in many Morris designs and are sold by the half metre to fit every table, it won’t fray so doesn’t need a hem 👻 keep watching to see who our tea guest was 😉
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #strawberrythief #williammorrisfabrics #pvctablecloth #autumntable #autumntablescape #halloweentable #labrador #blacklabsofinstagram #funnylabrador
This is such an easy napkin fold and so effective too! 🫶🏻 We love Willow Bough blue and green layered together ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #tablescape #napkinfolding #napkinfold #burleighpottery
NEW LAUNCH! 🫶🏻 William Morris Daisy is now available to buy as fabric by the half metre! 🌼 we’ve always been asked for this by the half metre so you can shop now, please note that it’s a narrower printed design than usual 🪡🧵 It’s such a beautiful design, Morris’ first ever design so always such a special design for fans of his work! 🫶🏻
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#Williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #fabricstash #ukindependentbusiness #printedintheuk
Floral fabric stack 🫶🏻 Did you know all our William Morris fabrics are sold by the half metre? So for projects big and small, we’ve got you covered 🪡 Message us for free samples if you see a design you like 🥰
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisdesigns #fabrics #fabric #fabricdestashuk #floralfabric #preraphaelite #floralstack
We absolutely love Pimpernel Green, a timeless design it was first designed in 1876 by Morris, and is as beautiful today as it was then! 🍂
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#williammorrisdesign #williammorris #preraphaelites #preraphaelitebrotherhood #pimpernel #floraldesign #fabric #fabricstore #printedintheuk
Beautiful poetry by Morris 🍂 Did you know he was a writer as well as a designer? 🤎 This is his poem called “Autumn” 🍁
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#williammorris #williammorriscompton #compton #autumn #poetry #poems #words #morris
All month we will be staying on a Halloween theme with treats galore (preferably something yummy and baked..) 🎃
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #williammorrisdesign #strawberrythief #preraphaelite
Getting craft ready for Halloween with our little wool ghosts! 👻 We’re going to use them on place settings and on a Halloween tree 🎃 Super easy to make, all you need is wool, felt or googly eyes and some glue 🤎 we hope you like our first crafty video, we started with one ghost in the background and re did this video so many times we ended up with a whole ghost party- and we ended up covered in googly eyes 😂 The idea of the ghosts was from @thepomwreathcompany 🧡
featuring our William Morris Compton design 🍂
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #compton #autumncraft #autumncrafts #halloweencrafts #ghost #woolcraft #fabric
Autumn tables could potentially be one of our favourites! 🤎 Featuring our William Morris Compton design 🍂🧡
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#williammorris #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabric #compton #autumnal #autumntable #autumntablescape
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