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Hello
I have been working with a colleague on a history of a former School
of Industry in Brentford, Middlesex which is threatened with rather
thoughtless redevelopment as 3 bijou residences. It was largely
overseen by Sarah Trimmer, a pioneer of education for the poor. She
set up Sunday Schools to teach religious instruction and reading in
1786 and schools of industry, teaching spining and plain needlework,
the following year. The building was not constructed until 1806 and
brought together different groups who had hitherto been working in
various locations.
The School of Industry began with the offer of a special spinning
wheel at which a number of children could work together. Sarah took
some of the children across the river to Kew to demonstrate how it
worked before the Queen (Sarah's father, Joshua Kirby, had been
Clerk of Works at Kew). However, spinning was eventually given up
because local parents did not value it, thinking it of less use for
future employment than plain needlework. Also the machine broke and
was said to be impossible to repair! We understand that the late
Doris Yarde, who did a huge amount of research into Sarah Trimmer,
had tracked down in Cumbria a machine which was said to be the
spinning wheel in question. The then owner, perhaps 25 years ago,
sent a sketch of it which we have not yet found, but I am wondering
whether there's an expert in textile machinery on this list knows of
an unusual machine of this kind in a public or private collection?
Fingers crossed . . .
The cutting is from the Kentish Gazette, 4 September 1787:
Val Bott MBE MA FMA 020 8995 7413
25 Hartington Road, London W4 3TL
valbott.co.uk nurserygardeners.com
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