Always on
This project successfully funded on 30th September 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
This project successfully funded on 30th September 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Help keep Britain's living silk-weaving heritage alive at Whitchurch Silk Mill by preserving our historic looms and endangered craft skills.
As the UK's oldest working silk mill and one of three remaining silk mills in the country, we urgently need your help.
For more than 200 years, Whitchurch Silk Mill has stood on the banks of the River Test in rural Hampshire, preserving one of Britain's most remarkable textile traditions.
This is not a museum of objects behind glass. It is a place where history is brought to life every day through the sights, sounds and skills of two heritage silk weavers. Our historic looms, some dating back to the 1890s, continue to produce beautiful silk fabrics, while our expert team passes on knowledge handed down through generations of weavers.
But this living heritage is increasingly fragile.
Traditional weaving skills are disappearing across the UK. In 2023, Silk Ribbon Weaving was added to the Heritage Crafts Red List as a Critically Endangered Craft. Only five silk ribbon weavers remain in the country. Whitchurch Silk Mill employs two of them and is training the next generation to ensure these rare skills do not disappear forever.
The Mill has played a small but significant role in some of the world's best-known film and television productions. Silk ribbons woven here have appeared in productions including Titanic, Sense and Sensibility and many other period dramas, showcasing the exceptional quality of traditional British craftsmanship to audiences around the globe.
Every year, thousands of visitors come to discover Britain's rich textile heritage, watch our weavers at work, and experience a craft that has been practised here since 1815. Income from admissions, retail sales and events helps support our work, but visitor numbers alone are no longer enough to secure the future of this nationally important heritage.
That's why we are asking for your support.
Your donation will help us continue our mission to preserve Britain's living silk-weaving heritage. Funds raised will support the Mill's core charitable work, helping us maintain historic machinery, care for our buildings, train future weavers, share our collections and keep this extraordinary craft alive for future generations.
By supporting this appeal, you are not simply helping to preserve a historic building. You are helping to protect a living tradition, safeguard endangered skills, and ensure that the looms of Whitchurch Silk Mill continue to weave for many years to come.
Our Vision
We want future generations to experience the wonder of seeing silk woven on historic looms, to learn from skilled craftspeople and to discover how Britain's textile heritage continues to shape the present day.
With your help, we can ensure that Britain's living silk-weaving heritage remains exactly that: living.
Why support us now?
The looms are still weaving. With your support, they'll continue to weave for generations to come.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made