John Crossley and Sons, Carpet Manufacturers of Halifax, Records (DC, CRO)
1621 - 1989
''Let every carpet produced by John Crossley and Sons be its own traveller''
1951 Festival of Britain certificate for Crossley products chosen for display
So ran the slogan for the world-famous Crossley carpets, which graced the floors of such places as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, Buckingham Palace and Christiansborg Castle, Denmark, the Empress of India steamship, and even the QE2 and Concorde!
The firm and the family were also pivotal in the development of Halifax and the locality. The Crossley collection held at WYAS Calderdale comprises some 920 boxes of production records, deeds, maps, correspondence, accounts and other records which were saved from Dean Clough Mills in 1988 following the closure of the firm.
Worldwide Success
Photographs of the brothers and later directors in a centenary souvenir brochure
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”.
Explore the collections on our online catalogue under finding numbers DC and CRO.
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”.
Explore the collections on our online catalogue under finding numbers DC and CRO.
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