Power Loom House at the Early Blanket Mill

Power Loom House at the Early Blanket Mill – Witney, Oxfordshire, 1898

Step into the heart of the Industrial Revolution with this striking image from 1898, captured inside a power loom house in a blanket mill in Witney, Oxfordshire. Rows of heavy machinery dominate the scene as young women and men work among the rhythmic pounding of looms. The atmosphere, though industrious, is one of intensity and focus, with blankets and wool textiles being produced for markets across the British Empire.

Witney had long been synonymous with high-quality wool products, and by the late 19th century, steam-powered machinery like these looms had transformed the pace and scale of textile production. The workers, some barely teenagers, laboured long hours in noisy, lint-filled air—yet their hands carried centuries of craftsmanship into the modern era.

📍 Witney, West Oxfordshire, England 🗓️ Year: 1898 🔎 Suggested tags: Industrial Heritage, textile workers, power looms, Victorian England, Witney blankets, UK factory history

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