Set up in 1977, the North West Film Archive preserves moving images made in or about Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria and offers a variety of access services to users in the public, academic and commercial sectors.
This film is part of Free
Wheel of Fortune
As the water wheel turns, mill workers produce woollen cloth in the traditional, time-honoured way.
From the collection of:
Overview
This grainy, atmospheric film shows workers at the water powered woollen mill of L.W. Whittaker Fullers and Finishers Ltd., in Helmshore in Lancashire. In this picturesque setting, they use traditional methods to process cloth - fulling (cleaning and thickening it using water) and finishing. Only the coffee mugs, and the mini van parked in the yard reveal that this is the 20th century.
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