STORY WITH A MURAL MESSAGE
Daniela Loffreda reveals the story behind the magnificent colourful mural on the side of Derby’s Silk Mill pub
MOST visitors to Derby will have come across the stunning painting on the side of the Silk Mill pub on the edge of the city centre. At a quick glance, it might be mistaken for street art, but this mural holds much more significance than being just a pretty picture.
It’s perhaps true that a picture paints a thousand words, and that was certainly the aim of those who picked up their paint brushes over 30 years ago to depict one of, not only Derbyshire’s but the country’s, most important moments in history.
What started as the sacking of one worker turned into an employee strike stretching from 1833 into 1834 – which became known as the Silk Trades’ Lock-out.
Many historians argue that it was this event, which inspired the mural, that played such a pivotal role in the rise of class consciousness in English society in the 19th century. In fact, it was perhaps the first national example of the development of working-class identity, as Derby workers attempted to gain back some control from their employers.
The exact date that the Silk Mill pub was constructed is disputed, but there are reports that the first record of its existence date to around 1874. However, it’s likely the building dates back much further to when the historic Silk Mill was fully operational.
The Silk Mill itself was constructed in the early 18th century after John Lombe travelled to Italy in around 1716 and stole the plans of Italian machinery in Piedmont. When the Derby mill was constructed, it is understood to have been a collective of two main buildings, one of which was the main water-powered mill, while the other was an unpowered doubling shop.
The Silk Mill, then known as Lombe’s Mill, employed around 300 people at its peak. But the site would soon become historically significant not only for being the first mill of its kind in England.
After John Lombe’s sudden death at the age of 29, we understand that the mill passed through various hands until it was known as Taylor’s Mill around the 1830s.
The early 1800s was a period of political unrest for the urban working class, and a number of workers were beginning to form local branches of a trades union which stated its intention of taking over production.
When factory masters discovered this, they became alarmed and, claiming that they were attempting to break a routine strike over a dismissed worker, demanded all members sign a document renouncing the union and its aims.
When members refused to do so, they were locked out by their employers because of their union membership, marking the start of a dispute which lasted over winter.
The strike, which had initially started at a different Derby factory, spread to others, including the Silk Mill.
The total number of workers who went on strike is disputed, but it is estimated at anywhere between 800 and 2,400 by February 1834.
According to Daniel Martin, the curator of making at Derby Museum, while the incident started at another Derby mill, the Silk Mill was chosen as the symbolic focus due to its significance as a factory which pioneered the way for modern industry in England.
The lock-out received national coverage, and as a result, workers received enough donations from trade union branches across the country to keep them going for many months without receiving any wages from their employers.
Yet factories were able to continue with production by employing unskilled, non-union members to do the work.
But when the strike dwindled in March 1834, union members began to go back to work. It is reported that on April 21, 1834, the final strikers asked to be re-instated.
According to the Peace and Socialism Morning Star, the Derby Lockout acted as a catalyst for the formation of the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU), which was the first national trades union with revolutionary intent.
■Do you have more details about the Silk Mill mural? Were you involved in its painting? Contact daniela.loffreda@reachplc.com