MYB Textiles: Inside the World's Last Nottingham Lace Mill in Scotland's Irvine Valley
Photographer Murdo MacLeod captures the essence of MYB Textiles Ltd, the sole remaining mill globally that produces Nottingham lace using traditional looms, some of which are over a century old, originating from 1913. Each loom utilizes 10,000 spools of thread. The art of handloom weaving was brought to the region by Flemish refugees in the 16th century, with the introduction of power looms occurring in 1877. At its height, Newmilns and Darvel boasted 20 lace mills employing 2,000 individuals; currently, MYB has a workforce of 42. Renowned for its Scottish Leno gauze weave, MYB provided curtains for Spielberg's Oscar-winning Lincoln in 2013 and contributed lace to Boardwalk Empire. The archive features 50,000 samples, while local artists Frank and Mandy Carty designed murals inspired by a 1936 MYB pattern.
Key facts
- MYB Textiles Ltd is the last mill in the world weaving patterned Nottingham lace on traditional looms
- The looms mostly exceed a century in age and date from 1913
- One loom requires 10,000 spools of thread to supply its warp
- Brass-centred bobbins hold 400 yards of thread and are placed on triangular metal shuttles
- Newmilns and Darvel once had 20 lace mills employing about 2,000 people; MYB now employs 42
- Flemish refugees brought handloom weaving to the Irvine Valley at the end of the 16th century; the power loom was invented in 1877
- The mill archive holds 50,000 samples and 20,000 designs
- MYB supplied curtains for Spielberg's Lincoln and lace appeared on sets of Boardwalk Empire
- The company featured in the Design in Motion exhibition at V&A Design Museum Dundee in 2015
- Murals by Frank and Mandy Carty of Artisan Artworks include a Main Street work based on the 1936 Lydia pattern and the motto 'Weave Truth with Trust'
Entities
Artists
- Frank Carty
- Mandy Carty
- Janey Gray
- Sherry Campbell
- Margo Graham
- Steven Spielberg
- Martin Scorsese
Institutions
- MYB Textiles Ltd
- Artisan Artworks
- V&A Design Museum Dundee
- Timorous Beasties
- Eley Kishimoto
- The Guardian
Locations
- Newmilns
- Darvel
- Irvine Valley
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
- Dundee
- India
- Castle Street
- Main Street