Illustrated
talks

Illustrated talks about the textile heritage of the Stroud Valleys

The following talks have been prepared by the Trust’s historian, Ian Mackintosh, and are delivered with slides and other illustrative material.

Cathedrals of cloth. The life and times of Ebley Mill, from early beginnings to the present day.

400 years of Stroudwater textiles. A focus on the development of mills along the valleys, including details about the cloth-making process.

Men behaving badly: Law and disorder around Stroud from the Middle Ages to around 1800. The harsh world of petty crimes and severe punishments, when minor theft might result in deportation.

Parallel fortunes: Ham and Longfords. Working at the mills; their success and decline.

The growth of Stroud. Follow the development of the town from its earliest records via a ‘tour’ along the main streets, beginning at St Laurence’s Church.

Wool and the changing Cotswolds. The development of the cloth trade through the centuries, starting in the Middle Ages.

Our Maps

We have also produced a series of beautiful walking maps that will take you on self-guided explorations of Stroud and Nailsworth. The maps have lots of fascinating historical information and are fully-illustrated.

Stroud Town 1

Step Into The Picture

Invites you to cover the ground depicted in a painting c.1790 of the hamlet of Wallbridge, its mills and the fields behind. It is a beautiful landscape much changed by industrial development but footpaths take you through fields and beside the river in peaceful countryside. The painting, along with others, can be seen in the Museum in the Park, Stroud.

Stroud Town 2

The Upp End of Stroud

This walk uses another Museum painting to evoke the artisan suburb at the top of the town, which developed in the late 1600s. This will be a gentle walk round historic but unpretentious streets.

Stroud Town 3

Royal Stroud

Published in the Jubilee Year there is admittedly not much that can be recorded about royal activities in a country town. However, Frederick Prince of Wales made his mark; Queen Mary visited a factory; Prince Philip had his wedding uniform made here; Queen Victoria passed by and Queen Elizabeth II passed through…. And this is an easy walk from the centre of town to the attractive museum along the newly restored canal – an interesting walk full of History.

Nailsworth Mills 1

Streams of Cloth

A walk round the town and up the Horsley brook. Pin-pointing a succession of mills it provides a background to the growth of the local woollen cloth industry and the town. It is supported by history boards at each of the mill sites.

Nailsworth Mills 2

Weavers' Yarns

This a walk out of the town into the delightful and sunny Shortwood Valley, over the hill and down into the Horsley Valley. It uses mainly well trodden footpaths and passes sites of mills, chapels and quarries that provided stone for Charles Barry’s rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament.

The above list is of our most popular talks. It may be possible to research and deliver talks on other topics, given sufficient notice. We can bring our own AV equipment if necessary, but it is helpful to know what you are able to provide yourselves. Please discuss this with us at the time of booking.

Enquiries to
ian.mackintosh@stroudtextiletrust.org.uk
ann.taylor@stroudtextiletrust.org.uk

Illustrated
talks