The Warner Textile Archive is an accessible research collection welcoming anyone by appointment. We welcome groups, schools, research and commercial visits.
You can explore the origins of Warner & Sons, and furnishing fabrics design development more broadly, at our Warner & Sons Gallery at Braintree Museum. Here you can delve into the silk manufacturing heritage of Braintree, learn about key industrial designers of the twentieth century, and see intricate patterns and ground-breaking textile inventions up-close. Visit www.braintreemuseum.co.uk to plan your visit.
We hold special events throughout the year including our popular behind the scenes tours, and free mini tours on Heritage Open Days.
The Warner Textile Archive is an internationally significant textile and design collection. We can chart more than 150 years of furnishing fabric production through one of the largest collections of its type. The collection covers a range of records including design artwork, colour and weave trials, business accounts, photographs and correspondence, as well as samples of handwoven silks, powerwoven designs, and printed fabrics. The collection enables us to build a picture of how a largescale textile manufacturing company operated, as well as provide inspiration for commercial projects.