the clothworkers' company annual review 2015

The Clothworkers’

Annual Review2015

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T H E C L OT H WO R K E R S ’ A N N UA L R E V I E W 2 0 1 5

The Clothworkers’ CompanyThe Clothworkers’ FoundationClothworkers’ HallDunster CourtMincing LaneLondon EC3R 7AHTelephone 020 7623 7041Fax 020 7397 [email protected]

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Entertainingin a stunningand versatilespace

• Capacity for up to 350• Dinners, receptions,

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• Convenient City location

To find out more pleasecontact ITA* Venuesvia 020 7871 0577 [email protected]

THE CLOTHWORKERS’ COMPANY2015-2016

MasterMelville Haggard

WardensMichael Jarvis Dr Carolyn Boulter DL

Nicholas Horne Michael Malyon

Court of AssistantsJohn Papworth Oliver Howard

Christopher Jonas CBE Timothy BousfieldAnthony West DL Peter Langley

Neil Foster John WakeRichard Jonas John Coombe-Tennant

John Stoddart-Scott DL Philip PortalRobin Booth Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke

Christopher McLean May Alexander NelsonMichael Howell Daniel Jago

Antony Jones Denis CloughRear Admiral Michael Harris JP Tom Ingham Clark

STAFFClerk to the Company and Chief Executive of the Foundation

Jocelyn Stuart-Grumbar

Director of Group Finance, Property and InvestmentsHamesh Patel

Chief Accountant Beadle and Hall Manager Grants Manager ArchivistAndy Boon Michael Drummond Philip Howard Hannah Dunmow

Introduction 3Textiles 4Archives and Collections 8Affiliations 12Trusteeship 14

CONTENTS

Cover: Detailfrom theCompany’snew 2015Charter,showing thedecoratedand gildedcapital E ofElizabeth.(see page 8)

Introduction

Founded almost five hundred years ago to promotethe craft of clothworking in London, theClothworkers’ is today a membership organisationinvolved in the affairs of the City of London, andwhich aims to invest its surplus resources inphilanthropic endeavour.

This Review covers the activities of the LiveryCompany, The Clothworkers’ Company, and itsassociated grant-making charity, The Clothworkers’Foundation.

Established by Royal Charter in 1528 through themerger of two older companies, the Fullers and theShearmen, The Clothworkers’ Company was foundedto promote the craft of clothworking in the City ofLondon. It supervised the training of apprentices andprotected standards of workmanship. Its memberswere all actively involved in the craft.

Livery Companies have always had close connectionswith the City Corporation and their members electthe Sheriffs and Lord Mayor to this day.

The Clothworkers’ Company accumulatedconsiderable wealth over the centuries, largelythrough bequests of money and property frommembers, and by prudent management of its assets.

The Company’s overall objectives are to administerits assets and affairs responsibly, play its part in thecivic life of the City of London, support the textileindustry in appropriate ways and seek to increase itscharitable giving.

Charity has always been at the heart of theCompany’s activity, initially supporting members inneed, but subsequently also wider society.

In modern times, the Clothworkers’ charitableactivity has been channelled through its grant-making charity, The Clothworkers’ Foundation,

established in 1977 with a significant endowmentfrom the Company.

The Company passes its income, having paid met hecost of running the Hall and its other activities,across to the Foundation each year. This, togetherwith income from the Foundation’s own investments,is distributed to a broad range of charities.

The Company remains a membership organisation,although there are limited links with its originaltrade. Members join as Freemen or Freewomen, andsome are elected to the Livery, when they take amore active role in the Company. The Court ofAssistants, headed by the Master, who serves for ayear, runs the affairs of the Company, acting as aboard of directors. The board of trustees of theFoundation is drawn from the Court and Livery ofthe Company.

The Company has owned a Hall on the same sitesince the fifteenth century. This contains theadministrative offices, together with function roomsused for member meetings and events. The latter areavailable for hire to third parties to make the venueaccessible when not required for the Company’s ownpurposes and to contribute to the considerable costof maintaining the building.

This Review covers the key activities of the Company:in textiles (where the Foundation is also active), itscommitment to trusteeship, the continuing interestin its heritage and collections, and its support for thearmed forces. It also contains information on thebroad range of charitable activity undertaken by theFoundation.

The Review is directed both at the members of theCompany as well as interested outside parties; we hope it will make interesting and informativereading on the modern role of an ancient City LiveryCompany.

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The Company’s coat of arms over the centuries

Technology and manufacturing

The global population is predicted to increase to c13 billion by 2067 and the increasing and ageingpopulation is expected to intensify the globaldemand for high quality, cost-effective healthcareproducts that are readily accessed by all.

In 2012 we made a grant of £1.75m to the Universityof Leeds to establish the Clothworkers’ Centre forTextile Materials Innovation for Healthcare.

This unique national facility focuses on thedevelopment of advanced textile materials thataddress key challenges in healthcare productperformance. The Centre’s target areas of researchare blood filtration, healthcare acquired infections,chronic wound management and incontinencemanagement.

Since its inception, the Centre has secured fundingfor a number of new research projects – collaboratingwith other healthcare experts, the manufacturingsupply chain and clinicians – the value of which hasnow reached £1m.

Academic Excellence

We provide funding for a number of PhD students inTextiles and Colour Science at the University ofLeeds, as well as bursaries for MSc students on the

Technical Textiles and Polymers, Colourants and FineChemicals programmes.

In addition we provide funding for equipment to theTextiles and Colour Science Departments to enableacademics to stay at the forefront of research in theirfields. In 2015 we gave £130,000 to the School ofDesign which, coupled with additional funding fromthe University, enabled them to purchase a numberof state of the art pieces of equipment.

Encouraging Young Adults

The resurgence in the UK textile manufacturingindustry, and threatened skills shortage as the ageingworkforce retires, has focused our support on helpingto address this issue.

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Textiles


Our objectives are to:

● Support textile technology and manufacturing inthe UK

● Maintain our support of academic excellenceand innovation in technical textiles, traditionaltextiles and colour science in the UK

● Encourage young adults to pursue studies and acareer in these fields

● Selectively support and reward excellence intextile design

● Contribute to the preservation and accessibilityof textiles collections of national importance

On the next few pages are a some examples of howwe apply our resources in this area.

The Clothworkers’ roots are in textiles and support for the sector continues to be an important part of our activity.

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Since 2012, we have funded the Textile Centre ofExcellence in Huddersfield for an ApprenticeshipChampion to create effective links between schoolsand employers. This initiative is producing someencouraging results; in 2015 over 2,000 pupils wereengaged from 31 schools. Some 70 companiesparticipated and 58 apprenticeship placements weremade.

During 2015 we supported the Textiles GrowthProgramme with a grant for a textiles stand and pop-up factory to participate in Skills Fairs in the Northof England. These were aimed at students aged 13+ahead of their making career choices, and were verywell received. Many students, and tutors, commentedthat they had been unaware of the careeropportunities available in the textiles industry.

In October we co-sponsored, with the Campaign forWool, The Drapers’ Company and The Weavers’Company, the second Making It in Textiles careersconference in Bradford. The aim of the two dayconference was to forge stronger links betweeneducation and the UK textile manufacturing industry.

Over the two days the students heard from a numberof experts working in different areas of the sectorincluding colour, yarn production, weaving andfinishing. Guest speakers included Kirsty McDougall(Dashing Tweeds), Beryl Gibson, Stephen Sheard(Rowan Yarns), Richard Humphries (HumphriesWeaving), Gary Eastwood (Pennine Weavers) andPaul Johnson (WT Johnson & Sons).

At dinner, Patrick Grant (Norton & Sons, Savile Row,and a judge on the BBC series The Great British SewingBee) spoke about his career journey and theimportance of seizing every opportunity.

On the second day, Sheila-Mary Carruthers(Carruthers Associates) talked through themanufacturing chain, highlighting the opportunitiesfor graduates. The conference concluded with apanel of past textile graduates offering advice onentering the industry.

Feedback from the students and tutors was, onceagain, very positive, with many explaining that theywould not have been able to organise a similaropportunity for themselves and how it had widenedtheir knowledge of textile production. A thirdconference is scheduled for October 2016.

We continue in partnership with Cockpit Arts,helping graduating weavers set up in business andhave recently renewed our commitment through to2020.

In addition, we continue to augment the Weavers’Company placement scheme whereby textilemanufacturing companies take on talented textilegraduates for a six or twelve month placement; in2015 eight placements were made. The programmehas been very successful in seeing placements leadto offers of permanent employment.

Textiles

Making It in Textiles careers conference in Bradford

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Textile Design

For some years, we have been supporting the key UKdesign competitions for graduating textile students –Texprint, New Designers and the Bradford TextileSociety Design Competition.

Anja Alexandersdottir won the Clothworkers’Interiors Prize at Texprint and Emma McCluskey wasawarded the Printed Textiles prize at New Designers.

We continue to support textile design in other areasthrough bursaries for undergraduate students atCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design andthe University of Huddersfield, as well as for MAstudents at the Royal College of Art. We also providefunding for equipment, from time to time.

For the last three years, we have sponsored a MaterialsInnovation Fellowship through The Arts Foundation.This has produced three worthy winners – JuliaLohmann for her work with seaweed, Sarat Babu whouses innovations in sintering technology andthe creation of materials through microscopicarchitecture and, most recently, Carmen Hijosa, for herwork in creating and developing Pinatex, a natural andsustainable nonwoven textile made from pineappleleaf fibres. The Trustees have recently agreed tocontinue the sponsorship for a further three years.

Textile Heritage

We continue to be a significant supporter ofconservation skills in textiles. We have been alongstanding funder of the Centre for Textile

Conservation, initially when it was at the Universityof Southampton and, in more recent years, at itshome in Glasgow, where it is thriving. Our supportprovides a full fees bursary for one student annuallyfor the two year duration of the MPhil programme.

In addition, we have, for a number of years,supported an internship programme run by theHistoric Royal Palaces Textile Conservation Studio at Hampton Court and have recently renewed oursupport for a further three years.

Alumni

We like to stay in touch with people we have fundedand, to facilitate this, we hold an annual AlumniDinner at Clothworkers’ Hall. This is always a livelyand enjoyable occasion attended by alumni acrossthe disciplines – textile design, materialsinnovation, technical textiles, weaving andconservation. In 2015 we welcomed 38 of ouralumni – the highest number yet.

Textiles

Emma McCluskey’s designs

Anja Alexandersdottir’s designs

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University of Leeds – Department of ColourScienceClothworker Fellow £200,000

University of Leeds – School of DesignTo support postgraduate research in polyesterdyeing £80,000

Cockpit ArtsBursaries and replacement parts for looms

£60,000

Royal School of NeedleworkRefurbishment of new space at Hampton CourtPalace £45,000

City and Guilds of London Art SchoolConservation bursaries over five years £35,000

Central St Martins College of Art and DesignPurchase and installation of three jacquard looms

£30,000

Textile Conservation FoundationMPhil bursary at the University of Glasgow

£27,400

Royal College of ArtPurchase of a Shima Seiki knitting machine

£25,000

University of Leeds – Department of ColourSciencePart-time teaching post over one year £25,000

The Weavers’ Company Textile Education FundIndustry placement scheme £24,000

University of HuddersfieldBA/BSc bursaries in Textiles with Surface Design

£15,000

Royal College of ArtMA bursaries in Textile Design £13,000

Central St Martins College of Art and DesignBursary and student materials fund £12,500

University of Leeds – Department of Colour ScienceSummer student internships £10,000

Bradford Textile Society Fabric design competition £4,650

Total £606,550

Company SupportUniversity of LeedsClothworkers Innovation Fund £100,000

Textile Centre of ExcellenceApprenticeship Champion £44,000

Careers Conference£12,500

New DesignersPrinted textile prize £2,560

Total £159,060

Charitable Grants 2015

Textiles


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Charter

The Company’s original Charter was granted byHenry VIII in 1528. Between 1558 and 1947, sevenfurther Charters were granted.

Many of the provisions in these Charters had nooperative effect and in a number of cases had beensuperseded by the general law that had overriddenprovisions in the earlier Charters.

Following the approval of a new set of simplifiedOrdinances in 2014, together with revised StandingOrders, the Court determined that it would beadvantageous to seek a Supplemental Charter thatsuperseded the earlier Charters save for theprovisions concerning the incorporation of theCompany, its perpetual succession and common sealas set out in the Foundation Charter of 1528. Allother provisions of the 1528 Charter and all thesubsequent Charters would be revoked.

Her Majesty the Queen approved an Order in PrivyCouncil granting a Supplemental Charter to theCompany in October 2014. Although not required, the Company chose to have a handwritten copy ofthe Charter on vellum which was sealed by theCrown Office at the House of Lords. The design,calligraphy and illumination were completed byTimothy Noad. He successfully incorporated theentire text, some 1200 words, on a single sheet ofvellum, and created our first Charter employingcoloured decoration and gilding.

The Great Seal was affixed on 15 June 2015 and thenew Charter came into effect on that date.

A facsimile copy of the founding Charter, with areplica seal, has long been on display at Clothworkers’Hall. During the year, new photography of all theCompany’s other Charters, Ordinances and Grants of Arms was commissioned, and the prints framed. A selection, including the new Charter, is now ondisplay at the Hall. Replica Great Seals were alsoordered and attached to the relevant documents.However, we are not allowed to replicate Elizabeth II’sGreat Seal from the new Charter.

Archives and Collections

We continue to preserve, make accessible anddevelop our archives and collections, whilstsupporting talented artists and craftsmen in anumber of fields.


Portraits of former Clerks

Continuing a long tradition of commissioningtestimonial portraits of its former Clerks, theCompany acquired a striking portrait of AndrewBlessley, who retired in 2015, painted by PaulBenney.

Set against a dramatically dark background he isworking, with items of particular interest on his desk– two of the Company’s bookbindings, an architect’simpression of the Company’s development at 120Fenchurch Street, and a small bowl designed andmade by his wife Linda, a potter. Andrew was keenthat his computer be included in the composition toreflect contemporary working practices for futuregenerations.

The oil on canvas painting was unveiled in Novemberand hangs in Clothworkers’ Hall, along with portraitsof seven earlier Clerks, covering the period 1867 to2000, when Andrew took up the post.

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An illustratedbooklet about theCompany’sCharters,Ordinances andGrants of Arms has been producedand is available on request.

THE CLOTHWORKERS’ COMPANY

Charters,Ordinances andGrants of Arms

The new Charter

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Bookbinding

The Company continues to support bookbinding,recognised to be an endangered craft.

We are slowly building up a collection of finebindings and currently have three books out withdesigner bookbinders. During the year we tookdelivery of two of our completed commissions.The first is by Flora Ginn who bound a copy ofWilberforce Jenkinson’s London Churches before theGreat Fire (1917).

More recently, Stuart Brockman deliveredhis binding of The Costume of Yorkshire byGeorge Walker (1814). The design depictsa view over a North Yorkshire coastalvillage through a mill window, showingthe silhouette of a mill owner and aspinning wheel. The book is covered infull transparent vellum, over watercolourpainting, with goatskin onlays added andgold tooled. The end-papers consist ofmarbled paper specially made by hiswife, Louise. It truly is a family affair asStuart co-runs the bindery with hisfather, James, from whom wecommissioned a binding in 2010.

Supporting talent

The revival of the annual competition by students atthe Royal School of Needlework to design a kneelerfor use at our guild church, St Olave’s, continues withgreat success. Two designs were chosen in the 2014competition which had the theme of Samuel Pepys.One was delivered during the year with the otherexpected to arrive during the summer of 2016.

The theme for the 2015 competition was the GreatFire of London, as 2016 marks its 350th anniversary.Three designs were submitted. Sarah Smith’s vividimagery of flames over buildings bordering theThames, complete with boatmen, was selected as thewinning design. The scene is viewed throughwindows inspired by the shape of those high in thenave at St Olave’s.

We also award a small monetary prize each year forthe best Future Tutor in any year at the School.Annalee Levin, a student now back in the UnitedStates, was the 2015 recipient.

In bookbinding, we fund prizes in the Open Choicecategory at the Designer Bookbinders’ annualcompetition. The winning designs were Kaori Maki’sbinding of The Texture of the Universe by Henry &Thomas Vaughan, and Pamela Richmond’s elegantbinding of Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy.


Silver

We have an extensive collection of silver, dating backto the seventeenth century. Our policy is to add tothe collection by commissioning contemporarypieces for practical use from talented up-and-comingsilversmiths. This is augmented by generous gifts bysome Past Masters following their year of office.During 2015, we took delivery of an engraved andenamelled goblet designed by Jane Short, featured inlast year’s review. This is the Master’s gift of RobinBooth, Master 2012-2013.

In 2013, we commissioned a three-handled silverloving cup from the up-and-coming designer, RauniHigson. Since then, alongside working on the cup, Rauni has exhibited at The Silversmith’s Art at theNational Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, and hasbecome a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Nearing completion, Rauni describes the backgroundand inspiration behind the piece: “The inspiration forthe Loving Cup design was the teasel plant, especially thecharacteristic spiky flower heads, being an emblem of TheClothworkers’ Company. I did several first-hand drawings,and took a number of photographs of fresh and dried teaselflowers, stems, leaves and bracts. The form of the cup isbased on an upturned whole flower head, while the threeholding handles are based on the bracts, as are the three base‘handles’, which visually and physically balance the cup.

In the design proposal meetings, the importance offunctionality was stressed – clear handles, a well-fitting lidthat is easy to lift and relocate, and of course, it must beagreeable to drink from.

The three handles are comfortable to hold, but I wanted toevoke the feeling of spikiness, so the ridged edges have asharp hammered texture which is polished for contrast. Thelid has an easy to grasp handle, based on the cross sectionof the prickly stem, with an embossed design on the lid tosuggest the bracts emerging.

After the initial sketch drawings, I developed the design in3-dimensions, carving modelling materials and mouldingaluminium mesh and papier maché. A full size model wasmade and approved before starting in silver, to refine theproportions”.

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Samuel Pepys

Over the summer, the stainedglass window on the ReceptionLanding at Clothworkers’ Hall,which commemorates SamuelPepys, Master 1677-78, wasconserved. Designed andexecuted by Anthony Griffin,and presented by ViscountHyndley, Master 1953-54, its twoglass panels had been bowingconsiderably. The stained glassconservator, John Corley, cleanedand flattened the panels andattached a number of discreetsaddle bars to the backs of theleads for additional support.

Several significant items fromour collections were loaned toa major Pepys exhibition,Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire andRevolution, which ran at theNational Maritime Museum,Greenwich, from November2015 to March 2016. On showwere our portrait of the diaristby John Riley; an ivory portraitmedallion by Jean Cavalier,dated 1688; a wooden tobaccobox Pepys once owned; and themagnificent suite of plate hepresented to the Company ashis Master’s gift in 1677. Thefully illustrated catalogue fromthe exhibition is available inthe Library at Clothworkers’Hall.


Rauni Higson’s design:resin model and silver

cup in progress


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Affiliations

We currently enjoy strong affiliations with fourunits of the Armed Services. Our financial support islargely applied for welfare activities for theservicemen and servicewomen and their families.

During 2015 we were delighted to offer hospitality to our affiliates on two occasions – at our Dinner inMarch, when the guest speaker was General Sir Peter Wall, former Chief of the General Staff, andin December, in the presence of HRH The Duke ofKent, when the guest speaker was Admiral Sir JamesBurnell-Nugent.

Scots Guards

In June Major James Kelly succeeded Lt Col AndrewFoster as Regimental Adjutant.

The move from Catterick to Aldershot went smoothlyand the Battalion have now settled into their newhome.

During the year, troops were deployed to Texas aspart of an ongoing mechanised infantry developmentprogramme, and on a NATO exercise when over 30vehicles completed the 220 mile journey to Hull – thelongest mechanised infantry road move conducted inthe UK – for shipment to Denmark.

St Andrew’s Day Celebrations saw the RegimentalColonel, HRH The Duke of Kent, visit the Battalion inAldershot, for the first time, when he presented anumber of service and conduct medals.

Our funding supported varioius welfare activities forthe Battalion and their families, including the annualtheme park trip and children’s Christmas party. Inaddition, we have agreed support towards thecataloguing of the Regiment’s archives.


HMS Dauntless

2015 saw the Ship deployed to the Arabian Gulf totake over responsibility for keeping open sea lanesand conducting anti-piracy and escortingoperations. She returned in the summer for post-deployment maintenance works.

The Master recently led a group of Clothworkers on avisit to the Ship in Portsmouth, where she will bedocked for refit until 2018.

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Affiliations

47 Squadron

A year on, all the C-130 engineers are now settledwithin 47 Squadron, taking its total strength to morethan 500. The engineers have received recognitionfor their exceptional efforts in improving theserviceability of the Squadron’s aircraft.

2015 saw 47 Squadron deployed in support of BritishForces in Iraq and the broader Middle East.

In addition they maintain a presence in TheFalklands as well as carrying out operations andexercises in other areas around the globe.

2016 marks the Squadron’s centenary year and thereare a number of events planned to celebrate this.

Unfortunately duties precluded their joining us atour Dinner in December but we hope to be able towelcome them to Clothworkers’ Hall in 2016.

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry(Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps)

Our affiliation with the FANY goes back some tenyears. Our current support funds its OperationsOfficer and Administrator positions, two of only ahandful of paid roles.

FANYs deploy in support of non-emergencyoperations such as economic crime, murder

investigations and operations to recover childrenassessed as at risk. In 2015 they provided over 524days of support to 20 different organisations,completely free of charge

They are supported by several Livery Companies anddo much for the City. In an effort to help with theirfundraising, we recently facilitated their holding afundraising event at Clothworkers’ Hall, attended byHRH The Princess Royal.

We were delighted to make the Commanding Officer,Kim McCutcheon, an Honorary Liveryman.

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Trusteeship

In line with our common purpose, the Companycontinues to work with its partners to encouragemembers to become trustees. 2015 saw theintroduction of a number of new initiatives.

Trustee Leadership Programme

In 2015 we teamed up withCause4, a social enterprisewhich works withcharities on strategicissues, and theMerchant Bank, CloseBrothers, to run aprogramme which delivers trusteetraining and a charity matchingservice for people interested in taking on a role.

Each programme consists of five modules coveringdifferent aspects of being a trustee, includinggovernance and strategic planning, and financialmanagement.

Attendance has been over 60 for each programmeand, to date, 11 Clothworkers have participated. Over 66 direct matches have resulted, leading to 25confirmed Trustee appointments. The nextprogramme is scheduled for Autumn 2016.

Charity Governance Awards

In partnership with New Philanthropy Capital, Reachand Prospectus, we have developed an annualawards event to celebrate good charity governance.The response to the inaugural event wasencouraging, with over 100 entries submitted acrossthe six categories. These include impact, boarddiversity, managing turnaround, and embracingopportunity and harnessing risk.

A number of Liverymen assisted with the onlineshortlisting process ahead of the Awards Receptionin May.

We were delighted to be able to link this initiativewith our Textiles support by commissioning a woventextile design for the award piece from CassandraSmith, one of our Cockpit Arts bursary recipients.

New Philanthropy Capital

We continue to support NPC in hosting trustee seminars on a variety of relevant topics.In 2015 these includedTrusteeship in Small Charities, Impact, New FundingSources and Strategic Oversight. A new series isplanned for 2016.

Reach

This charity acts as abroker between volunteersseeking roles and charitiesseeking trustees. Wesupport their TrusteeWorksservice which, in 2015, sawthe registration of trusteeroles rise from 674 to 968. Happily this growth indemand is matched by a rising number ofvolunteers.

In addition to supporting Reach’s core costs, weprovided funding for their new IT platform, launchedin 2015. This includes a ‘knowledge centre’ and awidget to allow the streaming of trusteeshipopportunities to third party websites. As a result, wenow have, on our own website, a live stream directfrom Reach of Trusteeship opportunities.

the clothworkers' company annual review 2015

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