Laxtons (byLaxtons)
Says it began 1907Where Baildon, West YorkshireNames George Laxton, Gordon Holmes, James Laxton
We have been experts since 1907 when entrepreneurial business partners George Laxton and Gordon Holmes founded a worsted spinning mill in Oakworth, West Yorkshire. During the 1930s depression, we exported yarn to Germany for the manufacture of upholstery fabric and saw a boost in sales, before the devastating effects of the Second World War. Under the guidance of the government's 'Wool Control' body based in Yorkshire, we were able to continue operations throughout the war, producing yarn for military uniforms, made possible by local women undertaking the roles that had previously been performed by a predominantly male workforce, who were enlisted to fight. In the mid 1970s we began producing yarns for hand knitting for the first time, in Scotland, and a new state of the art factory was built in Silsden to expand our capabilities. This quickly grew into one of the most modern and successful spinning plants in the UK and Europe, establishing our global reputation with customers in over 80 countries worldwide. In the late 1980s Laxtons & Crawford set up a joint venture with a cooperative of mohair farmers in South Africa, relocating the entire spinning factory from Yorkshire to Port Elizabeth. 100s of heritage spinning mills and yarn manufacturers across the UK closed their doors permanently as brands looked to the Far East for cheaper products. But with his Great Grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to the industry that he had grown up in, James Laxton took the decision to re-shore the entire manufacturing operation, bringing machinery and expertise back to Britain in December 2009. James Laxton's innovative thinking and commitment to supporting the continuation of textiles production in Britain, has re-established Laxtons as an internationally renowned spinning mill, honouring our roots in the historic heartland of British yarn manufacturing with a new modern factory built in Baildon in 2018.
Quoted from bylaxtons.co.uk, in Laxtons (byLaxtons)'s own words. We have not edited it and we do not vouch for it.
