Marilyn Hall

Thank you Denise for the information about the Singer Machine factory. This film is yet another reminder of the roles of women in factories and the endless monotony of so much of our industrial heritage.

For our exhibition in Stroud, I explored some of the archive material at The Museum in the Park which related to the mills that had once dominated the lives of the people in Stroud. One of the items was a pair of clogs, wood and leather and very worn – worn by a woman who walked to and from the mill every day to work long shifts.

Pair of wooden soled leather clogs with lace holes. Worn by the donor’s mother in law, Florence Watkins, for her work in a mill in the Chalford Valley where she sewed button holes into Melton cloth. She walked to the mill from Whiteshill everyday. Museum in the Park, Stroud.

We study the historic industrial buildings and view the array of items made in them but so often overlook the role played by the workers, without whom there would have been no production.

My current work bears witness to these people.

One thought on “Marilyn Hall”

I love the photograph Marilyn and look forward to seeing your work about Stroud. There is something interesting about old worn shoes because you know that someone walked in them and you want to know where!