Trip to Macclesfield
Arighi Bianchi and the Silk Museum
On Wednesday 17th January, a group of 17 of us set off by coach for a long anticipated day in Macclesfield.
Our first port of call was to be the Macclesfield Silk Museum, followed by a visit to the well known Macclesfield furniture store – Arighi Bianchi.
The Silk Museum is housed in the original School of Art. On arrival, on this bitterly cold day, we were served tea and coffee straight away, before being invited to look around the displays while we waited for our tour guide. The museum tells the silk heritage story, how it is woven, printed and coloured, and explores the work of students and manufacturers in the town.
Following the arrival of our guide ,whose name unfortunately escapes me as I write this, we walked the few, very cold, yards to the adjoining silk mill. ”Paradise Mill” houses the only working Jacquard Silk hand looms in the country, in their original location. Built in 1862, it was a working mill until 1981. Our excellent guide demonstrated the machinery and took us back in time to explore what it would have been like to be a Macclesfield mill worker.
Following the visit to the mill we returned to the museum where we spent time looking at the pictures of the acclaimed wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe, who grew up in Macclesfield and attended its Art School. We also had time to view the entries to the 5th Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition, showcasing a wealth of local talent.
After our very enjoyable morning we were driven the short distance to Arighi Bianchi. The invitation to the store came about when the head of the family, Mr. Paul Bianchi, had to cancel a talk to our WI last year. This visit, which included a tour of the store and a talk from “Mr. Paul’s” son, “Mr. Nick”, was by way of compensation.
After a lovely lunch in the café we were shown around the Contemporary Furniture floor by its head of department, Tim. He demonstrated the workings of several different pieces of furniture, telling us how and where they were manufactured, before leading us through other departments. We were shown pieces ranging from modern to traditional, some reclaimed and some quite extraordinary. We didn’t see the entire store, but what we did see was quite eye opening. Those of us who chose to go “off-piste”, for a short while, had great difficulty in finding our way back to the group, so large is the store!
Then came our talk from "Mr. Nick", who regaled us with the history of the store and the background of the Arighi and Bianchi families. His passion for the business, its ethos and care for employees and customers shone through.
The store was founded in 1854, and has seen several generations of Bianchis at the helm. The family believes that it is this sense of continuity and community, which was so evident as we sat in the Parker Knoll room listening to Nick Bianchi, which makes Arighi Bianchi so special today. “Mr. Nick” was an excellent advert for the store and I believe each one of us came away from his talk quite bowled over by his charm, enthusiasm and sense of importance of customers,employees, friends and family.
We returned to Kelsall after a very enjoyable, interesting and fun day. Many thanks are due to Pat and Margaret for organising the trip.
(APT 18/01/18)
Our first port of call was to be the Macclesfield Silk Museum, followed by a visit to the well known Macclesfield furniture store – Arighi Bianchi.
The Silk Museum is housed in the original School of Art. On arrival, on this bitterly cold day, we were served tea and coffee straight away, before being invited to look around the displays while we waited for our tour guide. The museum tells the silk heritage story, how it is woven, printed and coloured, and explores the work of students and manufacturers in the town.
Following the arrival of our guide ,whose name unfortunately escapes me as I write this, we walked the few, very cold, yards to the adjoining silk mill. ”Paradise Mill” houses the only working Jacquard Silk hand looms in the country, in their original location. Built in 1862, it was a working mill until 1981. Our excellent guide demonstrated the machinery and took us back in time to explore what it would have been like to be a Macclesfield mill worker.
Following the visit to the mill we returned to the museum where we spent time looking at the pictures of the acclaimed wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe, who grew up in Macclesfield and attended its Art School. We also had time to view the entries to the 5th Macclesfield Open Art Exhibition, showcasing a wealth of local talent.
After our very enjoyable morning we were driven the short distance to Arighi Bianchi. The invitation to the store came about when the head of the family, Mr. Paul Bianchi, had to cancel a talk to our WI last year. This visit, which included a tour of the store and a talk from “Mr. Paul’s” son, “Mr. Nick”, was by way of compensation.
After a lovely lunch in the café we were shown around the Contemporary Furniture floor by its head of department, Tim. He demonstrated the workings of several different pieces of furniture, telling us how and where they were manufactured, before leading us through other departments. We were shown pieces ranging from modern to traditional, some reclaimed and some quite extraordinary. We didn’t see the entire store, but what we did see was quite eye opening. Those of us who chose to go “off-piste”, for a short while, had great difficulty in finding our way back to the group, so large is the store!
Then came our talk from "Mr. Nick", who regaled us with the history of the store and the background of the Arighi and Bianchi families. His passion for the business, its ethos and care for employees and customers shone through.
The store was founded in 1854, and has seen several generations of Bianchis at the helm. The family believes that it is this sense of continuity and community, which was so evident as we sat in the Parker Knoll room listening to Nick Bianchi, which makes Arighi Bianchi so special today. “Mr. Nick” was an excellent advert for the store and I believe each one of us came away from his talk quite bowled over by his charm, enthusiasm and sense of importance of customers,employees, friends and family.
We returned to Kelsall after a very enjoyable, interesting and fun day. Many thanks are due to Pat and Margaret for organising the trip.
(APT 18/01/18)
