The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
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Textile Factory in Redruth
Redruth Cottage Industry
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Overview
This film shows workers in a small textile factory in Redruth. The textile industry started from very humble beginnings, with indications of woven fabric as far back as the Palaeolithic era. During the 18th and early 19th centuries textiles were up scaled into factories whereas before they were created by individuals at their homes or weavers cottages. This is where the name cottage industry originated.
The industrial revolution and the technological leaps in industry during the 20th century revolutionised the cottage industry further. Synthetic factory-spun fibres were becoming increasing popular by the 1970s. The Cottage Industry traditionally run from home has experienced a revival since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007.
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