“John Crossley came from Luddenden
One hundred years ago;
But little dreamt John Crossley then
Of the sight that now you show;
For Dean Clough Mills, which now employ
Four thousand willing hands,
Are known the wide world over
To the people of all lands”
By 1879 John Crossley and Sons was the largest carpet manufacturing firm in the world, thanks mainly to their pioneering use and development of steam-powered looms and the fact that all processes from raw materials to finished carpets were carried out on the one site at Dean Clough, Halifax.
The records in the Crossley collection cover every aspect of the manufacture of Crossley carpets which were sold all around the world, including China and Japan, South America, Egypt and the West Indies, renowned for their quality and craftsmanship.
The collection also illustrates the workforce at work and play with annual outings, the Crossley’s Carpets Works Band and the Dean Clough Library and Institute as well as the firm’s diverse other interests, including plantations in Louisiana, and coal mines, in the townships of Sharlston, Wragby, and Snydale.
The philanthropic generosity of the Crossley family to the people of Halifax and further afield is also documented, inspired by a belief that blessings received in life should be shared..
In the words of Martha Crossley, wife of the founder, “If the Lord does bless us at this place, the poor shall taste of it”.
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