Nottingham University Archives
The archives within the University of Nottingham hold an extensive collection of papers relating to and from the textile company of I & R Morleys, these consist of documents relating to many areas of the business from finance, letters and correspondence.
In addition to the documents are a collection of in house magazines titled ‘Threads Magazine’ these offer a rare chance to look into the history of the company from the perspective of the people within the factories. Spanning through the 1930-50’s it lists the achievements, news and advertisements of the company, but also shown is news from each individual branch. The branch news lists weddings, births and deaths of the employees, sporting news and activities of various clubs.
Through this magazine, and the rich wealth of the information, it really becomes clear that a company such as Morleys was not just an employer but a corner stone of the local community, providing houses, holidays, recreational activities and education. I was especially interested in the editions that spanned the second world war, every issue that still survives from that era lists every employee that has been drafted and offers updates on their whereabouts, it shows the community spirit of the employees putting together packages of goods to send out to their fellow employees posted overseas.
There was so much to look through and learn it would have been easy to spend months and months just looking at Morleys, but I had to try and narrow my areas of inspiration, so what I hope I have collected from the archives is a taste of the company, the employees and the community in which it stood. The images of the machines, people and the advertisements of the day help to paint a picture of the past.
This has become such an emotional journey of research as this sculpture represents so much more than a town it represents the people within it both past and present and future.
I hope I can make the town of my birth pleased with the sculpture and what it represents.