JAMES THORNBER LIMITED
a brief history

The following text is taken from an article by Susan Sumner printed in the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, December 2006

"Leafing through back copies of the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times the other day, I came across an important milestone in Clitheroe's history.

It would be remiss not to mention the centenary of a Clitheroe family firm which has played an important part in the town's industrial and social heritage, quietly and intelligently surviving through ever-changing times.

James Thornber Ltd, at Holmes Mill, is the town's last surviving mill. When you think that, in 1914, there were 13 mills operating in Clitheroe, it tells you just how much the firm has had to adapt to continue.

James Thornber was started as a family business in May 1906 with the premises being leased from Alderman Parkinson.

The eponymous James was actually a grandson of Benjamin Thornber, a farmer and handloom weaver from Rimington, who started his own mill in Burnley in 1840.

When James started the Clitheroe business, lighting was by gas. His son, William, joined the firm in 1910, and was the mill's salesman for 40 years.

James bought the premises in 1913, along with the steam engine which powered the mill from 1910 to 1972, when all the looms were converted to electric drive.

The engineer who first started the engine in 1910 came out of retirement in 1972 to turn the steam off for the last time.

Over its hundred years, the mill has seen good and lean times.

After the 1914-1918 war, there was a boom - England made cloth for all the world up to the 1920s, it was only then that the developing countries started to make their own materials and the great slump of the 1920s and 30s began.

When Ghandi visited Blackburn in 1934, half the mills in the town that had been making Indian saris closed and thousands of people joined the dole queues.

These were lean times, but the family firm survived, albeit taking a few knocks. They had a loyal and intelligent workforce and developed new fabrics using Jacquard machines and artificial silk.

In 1939, James, the present owners' father, joined the firm. A man of quiet integrity, he steered the business through to 1985.

While he was serving in the RAF during the second world war, the mill was closed because there were neither enough cloth or workers to continue.

However, after the war, James went round on his bicycle recruiting old hands to run the looms. Trade was good until 1952, when there was once again a slump.

In 1962, the mill was equipped with 140 Northrop Automatic looms, which meant that the firm could move into furnishings and jacquards - now its core business.

In 1975, the mill bought its first Dornier weaving machines, again allowing them to open up new markets.

Mark and James Thornber

Today, two of James' sons, Mark and James run the mill, a family owned business.Six generations of the family have, over the years, purchased almost 5000 looms.

On the left is James Thornber in 1957 whilst his sons - Mark and James - stand in the same place in 2006

The firm currently employs 60 people, described by Mark and James as "a good and loyal workforce".

Above are the four employees receiving their long-service award from Mark Thornber
Danny Clarkson-17/05/76, Colin Bate-02/06/76, Mick Shuttleworth-02/08/76 and John Clarkson-06/09/76

Such is the loyalty that only this year, four employees, Colin Bate, Michael Shuttleworth, and brothers Danny and John Clarkson, have each clocked up 30 years service with the firm.

As James explained, " In the beginning, the mill wove fine cotton shirting, then linings and corset brocades".

Thornber's now produces predominately furnishing fabrics and curtaining, supplying some of the top names in the market.

Always evolving, the firm has introduced an interesting innovation, weaving slides of local scenes. A prototype - a view of the mill - makes a stunning picture, and plans are in the pipeline for more local scenes, such as views of Clitheroe.

Over one hundred years ago, the Thornber family were selling milk and cloth to the world. More than a century on, this is still the case, as another Thornber brother, John, is a farmer in Sawley.

Let us hope that the family firm continues to survive for another hundred years, providing employment and writing pages for Clitheroe's rich and vibrant history."

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