For our latest 2026 talk on Wednesday 11th February we welcomed David How, Chairperson for the Witney Museum. Assisted by museum administrator Beverley Sherwood, David presented a history of Witney’s New Mill.
Witney’s New Mill is a historic woollen mill site, one of several in Witney, famous of course for its centuries-old blanket industry.
Witney New Mill
David’s insightful presentation began with an introduction to the work of the Witney Museum and the lottery funding which helps its work and projects.
We were reminded of the reasons for the success of blanket manufacture in the area, including the quality of the wool of the Cotswold sheep, and the benefits of the River Windrush for quality production, before the industry’s eventual decline.
He then gave a quick round-up of the blanket types which were produced in Witney, including the Witney Point Blankets which were the subject of 19th Century trade agreements with native peoples in America and Canada when the Northwest Territories were formed in the 19th Century.
The site has deep historical roots in the woollen industry, being recorded as having a grist mill as early as 1277 and possibly dating back to the Domesday Book. David’s talk took us through the ownership and developments in the early 1800s, specifically by the Wright family and later the Early family, to demonstrate the importance of the site and its successes.
Witney New Mill – A Chequered Past?
On the way we had stories of accidents, of a possible arson attack or two, and certainly a litany of disasters by fire in 1783, 1809, 1818 and 1883 – and so reminders of tricky working conditions which surrounded the development of mechanisation.
David’s talk also presented the various processes involved in blanket manufacture and included a fascinating short video to illustrate the origin of the expression to “be on tenterhooks”. A real gem.
The talk concluded with a quick summary of the mill towards and after the end of its function as a working blanket factory in 2002. He also named the various companies which were housed in its building in recent times to the present day.
Another fascinating talk, then, for a group of 50+ attendees, ending with a short Q and A and a chance to look at cloth samples and some interesting memorabilia.
Visit these Sites for More
The Witney Blanket Story : [Opens in new tab ] Discover more about why the words ‘Witney’ and ‘blanket’ were so closely linked.
Witney Museum : [Opens in new tab ] Information and guides to the best of Witney’s heritage, including opening dates, a picture gallery and links to the museum’s social media sites
About David How
David moved to Witney in 1989, and was a Development Manager (General Insurance) until retirement. He has been active in the Witney community, including stints as a football referee for Witney and District Men and Boys, a cricket umpire in Cherwell League which includes West Oxfordshire, and as a school governor until recently at the Witney primary school.
He joined Witney museum over 10 years ago as a steward and became more involved, resulting in becoming a committee member and chair person for the past couple of years.
Next Talk : A profile of Thomas Fairfax. Details here >>>
