The Cliff Brown Talks: Life & Work at Paradise Mill

Cliff Brown started working at Cartwright & Sheldon at Paradise Mill in 1947. Such was his talent for art and drawing, he trained to become a Jacquard designer, learning on the job.

He completed his City & Guilds Final exam in 1951. Then he was promoted to head designer and worked for the company until 1981, when Cartwright & Sheldon ceased trading.

In a fascinating talk he gave to Macclesfield Arts Society on the 20th February 2020, at Macclesfield Silk Museum, Cliff Brown speaks about his life and work.

A series of 9 Podcasts from the talk will be released in total.

Part 1: The Early Years

Part 1: The Early Years

Cliff Brown starts with his childhood, early artistic talent and a particular passion that made him ideal as a Jacquard designer.

 

Part 2: Starting work for Cartwright & Sheldon

Part 2: Starting work for Cartwright & Sheldon

Cliff Brown talks about how he began working for Cartwright & Sheldon and on training to become a Jacquard designer.

Part 3: After Cartwright & Sheldon Closed

Part 3: After Cartwright & Sheldon Closed

Cliff talks of working as a designer for J. Arnolds in Macclesfield after Cartwright & Sheldon ceased trading.

Part 4: Sudden Changes In Life

Part 4: Sudden Changes In Life

Cliff talks about some sudden changes in his life, about national service and marriage.

Part 5: A Change Of Direction

Part 5: A Change Of Direction

Cliff talks about a change of direction and finding new creative work after textile designing

Part 6: A New Career

Part 6: A New Career

Cliff talks about his new career crafting doll’s house furniture.

Part 7: Textile Industry Training

Part 7: Textile Industry Training

Cliff talks about textile industry training methods, modern and traditional.

Part 8: Point Paper Design

Part 8: Point Paper Design

Cliff talks about the techniques used in creating point paper designs.