The 20th century witnessed new technical competition in the form of synthetics and great shift in production away from Britain to other parts of the world. But the collapse of the Norwich industry preceded this. By 1901 only 1331 individuals were recorded as being employed in the textiles industry (2.6% of the working population). Of these 85% were women. Further contraction was rapid, hastened by the closure of major employer Willett, Nephew & Co in 1904. Fortunately, the City’s industry base had already begun to broaden in the 19th century, with leather and shoemaking expanding since the 1840s. Agricultural engineering, brewing, food processing, printing and insurance were all making headway.

Various new initiatives explored potential new directions for the remaining silk industry, with Francis Hinde & Sons at St Mary’s Works in Oak Street developing fine gentleman’s wrappers and ties. In the long term, it proved impossible for Norwich to compete with imported French silks and with the dominance of London and the Macclesfield/Manchester area. Hindes was taken over by Courtaulds and held on until the late 1970s. Its last major line was silk produced for shrouds. So passed the once-great textiles industry of Norwich.

Although the days of large-scale textile production are over, creative and artistic interest in textiles has continued to be a mark of the city’s cultural identity. Within Norwich museums, pioneering curator and textile historian Pamela Clabburn began to build up the superb collection at Strangers’ Hall. This is now located at the Costume and Textiles Study Centre, Carrow House, and a display on the Norwich textiles industry, and associated collections, are housed at the Bridewell Museum.

Local colleges have retained very strong textile departments, and have established ground-breaking courses such as Creative Textiles, and Textiles Culture. At Norwich Cathedral, an experienced team of expert embroiderers maintains the rich heritage of ecclesiastical textiles. Venues such as the Castle Museum, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, and the Norwich Gallery promote contemporary textile art. These are joined by a host of smaller venues promoting the work of individual practitioners.