On the road leaving Lancaster, a modest city in northwest England, a clock tower perches on the long, low structure that houses Standfast & Barracks, the textile manufacturing branch of Walpole member Sanderson Design Group. Frequent passers-by have learned to ignore the time it reads: one face displays 12.40pm while another shows 4.20pm. Recently, however, there has been a change. The faces of the clock read the same time and, more importantly, they tick.
The repair of Standfast & Barracks’ clock tower coincides with its 100-year anniversary, which last week was marked as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker unveiled a commemorative plaque that reads: ‘The first recorded textile production on this site as Standfast Dyers and Printers took place on 30th April 1924.’ It is no mean feat for a company to last 100 years. A Harvard Business Review article indicates that only 1% of businesses reach the milestone. A clear sense of purpose, both for the business and its employees, is imperative to such success.
Standfast & Barracks offers its employees further development and leadership programmes at local Lancaster & Morecambe college, alongside initiatives such as weekly meetings between senior leadership team and employees from across the departments to discuss how they can collectively improve the business’ culture. “We like to keep our ideas fresh – it’s so important to invest in innovation,” explains Lisa Montague, CEO of Sanderson Design Group. Such investments extend to engaging with the next generations: Standfast & Barracks works with local universities to set projects for second-year students “It is incredibly important for us to work with young people, as they come up with such fantastic new ideas,” shares Emma Douglas, Creative and Commercial Director. “It’s equally important for us to give back to the education process,” she adds – as part of its centenary celebrations, Standfast & Barracks held a hand block printing workshop for National Saturday Club, which encourages young people aged 13-16 to learn skills and explore talents.
The printing blocks used in this process came from Standfast & Barracks onsite archive that gathers art pieces from around the world, with some dating back to the 18th century. This collection provides essential inspiration for the design and colourist teams, though some of the archive was lost in 2014 when the factory was submerged in several feet of water during the Cumbrian floods. The company saw this as an opportunity to invest in the archive, considerably expanding its previous size to now include over 10,000 pieces. But imprints of the flood remain: in the factory’s store of fabrics awaiting print, the walls are freshly painted – but only to waist height. “The insurance company would only allow us to repair what had been damaged,” Emma laughs.
Of course, Standfast & Barracks’ recovery from flood damage was not always approached with such a light-hearted attitude, though the team’s attitude was integral to its recovery at all. “Our recovery is absolutely testament to our team,” explains Lisa. “It was a combination of the real dedication of the people and the community.” The vibrancy warmth and enthusiasm of the team is evident through their interactions and collaborations with one another, and with whoever walks through the factory doors.
As part of the Festival of Making, which celebrates art, manufacturing and communities throughout Lancashire, Standfast & Barracks are hosting artist in residence Margo Selby. She is creating a textile installation to reflect the factory and its community. The installation is 100 metres long, to mark 100 years of Standfast & Barracks, and includes 160 colours – each representing a memory for every one of the factory’s employees. Aquamarine Blue represents Simon Hunter’s favourite dodgem car on Morecambe’s festival pier, while Phill Harris’ grandma had a Burnt Orange carpet he crawled on when he was younger. The installation, entitled ‘Breathing Colour’ will rise and fall, reflecting a deep breath in and out again. It encapsulates the very nature of the workforce at Standfast & Barracks: joyful, uplifting and alive.
