W. Smith and Co.

William Smith in later life (copyright D. Smith).

Dates of operation: 1850

Origins and history
A George Smith is recorded as working in the Witney blanket trade by 1738, but the blanket-making firm of W. Smith and Co. was founded by William Smith (1815-1875) sometime around 1850. Smith had earlier worked in both the mop-making and weaving trades, but it was his successful brewing business that he sold to buy a spinning business from John George. Initially using a donkey-powered spinning machine, it was William Smith who introduced the first steam engine into the Witney blanket industry in 1857.

Smith's remained a family firm, and retained this character even after merger with Manchester wholesalers J. and N. Philips in the mid-1920s, when it became known as Messrs W. Smith and J. and N. Philips (Witney) Ltd. This company was taken over by the General Guarantee Corporation of America in 1967 and then passed through various different ownerships: it was sold to Slater Walker, then to Bodycoat who in turn sold it on to the Yorkshire furnishing company of Moderna Ltd in 1972; by this time it was employing around 250 people [1]. Moderna initially announced that production would continue but Crawley Mill was partially closed in 1974 and in 1975 the company entirely ceased to operate in the Witney area.

Products and operations

Smith and Philips' 'Witnedown' blanket label.

William Smith was known locally as the 'great mop-maker of Bridge Street', and in fact the company was chiefly known for mops in the first few years of its existence. Smith's also produced tilts, which were coarse, greasy (and therefore fairly waterproof) fabrics used for waggon and barge coverings. Smith's trade was assisted during the 19th century by large government orders including supplying blankets and mops to the Royal Navy [2]. In 1873 they secured a contract from the government for 60,000 mops 'of a superior kind' [3].

Blanket made by W. Smith and Co. in 1892 and repackaged for use as advertising 45 years later.

It seems that by the 1930s mops were no longer made and the company concentrated on making blankets, including point blankets, cellular blankets and hospital blankets (which were red with a black stripe). One of the trade names used by Smith and Philips' for their blanket products was 'Witnedown' with the tag line 'Witnedown covers the World'.

New machinery and techniques were introduced from the 1950s onwards including Fiberwoven blankets (in the late 1960s) and new shuttle-less looms which ran much faster than the old power looms. Customers included many of the largest department stores, including Selfridges, Harrods, Gammages and Debenhams. Point blankets were sold to the United States and Canada [4].

Premises

Smith's Bridge Street Mill, seen in 1972 (copyright Stanley C. Jenkins).

The company was founded in High Street, Witney. From the 1860s it was based at Bridge Street Mill just north of the River Windrush in Witney. About 1879 Smith's also acquired Crawley Mill, about three miles away, from the Collier family [5], which it used for finishing procedures such as fulling, bleaching and dyeing.

Bridge Street Mill was requisitioned for other uses during the Second World War and looms and staff based there were transferred to Early's at Witney Mill [6], although Crawley Mill remained open for finishing blankets.