Yesterday evening we attended one of these, a talk at the Quay Theatre given by art Historian and television personality Dan Cruickshank, pictured here, in which he looked at the roots of the English Silk industry in London's Spitalfields.
The industry was brought to this country by Hugenot emigres, protestants fleeing persecution in France at the end of the 17th Century. They settled on former monastic land in Spitalfields, which was at that time a little way outside the city walls.
Dan Cruickshank lives in Spitalfields, and has written a book about its history. His primary interest is in architecture and it was interesting to see his old slides of substantial properties belonging to the silk merchant families. Many of these were sadly demolished in the last century but some properties still exist, notably in Fournier Street. He also showed slides of the recently restored magnificent Hawksmoor Church that forms the centre piece of the area. Cruickshank did point out however that as strict Calvinists, the french families would not have worshipped here, but as leading citizens, they would have used it for civic purposes.
Cruickshank also traced the roots of one family from Spitalfields to Sudbury, via Bow Lane, and pointed out some Sudbury properties that still bear the signs of weaving lofts.
An exhibition dedicated to the silk industry has just opened at Gainsborough's House and I hope to visit it next week. A review will therefore follow shortly.
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| Silk merchants' large houses, sadly demolished |
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