The Cotton Queens: knitted memories
In 2019, a community arts group, the Cotton Queens, was set up to bring together a diverse group of
women from in and around Bolton. The aim was to support members in developing their knowledge, skills and confidence through creative writing and performance by engaging with cultural and historical archives of
the Bolton area and its community.
In the first phase of the project, the women researched the lives of mill girls by examining the Worktown Collection of Mass Observation, which provides an insight into the experiences of Worktown women at work in the mills, in the home and on holiday in Blackpool. After researching the local archives, the group wrote
and produced a radio play, performed live at Bolton Museum and also took part in the University of Bolton’s Worktown Festival in 2020. In the second phase of the project, the group has written poetry; participated in the
‘Whitman on Walls’ transatlantic Walt Whitman event held at Bolton Museum; written and filmed drama scenes with a focuson the lives of Worktown women and has also interpreted their childhood memories through
knitting. They have shown that lifelong learning is fun, achievable, rewarding and can promote wellbeing. Being part of the group shows that anyone can learn new skills and contribute to preserving the stories of women
from the local Bolton community. The aim of the ‘knitting project’ was to produce a collaborative and creative piece of work that captures personal memories of childhood in and around Bolton.
Participants were asked to think of a childhood memory and then knit a square, choosing colours to
represent the memory in a meaningful way. A framed ‘blanket’ of these knitted squares has been created, with each square visually representing the childhood memory of the individual. The project spans across several generations and members have enjoyed remembering grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters in
their knitting. Remembering the ‘small’ helps to provide a better understanding of values and beliefs as well as social connections.
The Worktown Festival 2020
‘Worktown’ was the name given to Bolton by Mass Observation for its study of everyday life in an industrial town 1937-1940. The records of this study were taken to the south of England and now reside with the Mass Observation Archive in Sussex.
This Festival, presented by the University of Bolton’s Centre for Worktown Studies, brings Worktown back to Bolton. Based on local research on Worktown, undertaken by University staff in the Centre for Worktown Studies and also by local community groups, the Festival celebrates Bolton’s identity as Worktown through a range of educational and cultural activities.
Thanks to all our contributors and to Bolton Museum and Library, Bolton Socialist Club and the Bolton Station Community Partnership for hosting Festival events and exhibitions across the town. We hope you enjoy it.
Professor Robert Snape, Centre for Worktown Studies, University of Bolton
In 2019 The Cotton Queens took part in the Worktown Festival, a celebration of the Worktown Archives that documents the lives of the people of Bolton in the 1930’s. They created a radio play and book based on their research from people in the archives.
Click the link below to visit the website and listen to the play.
https://www.worktownfestival.com/cotton-queens
Performance at Bolton Museum and Library.
The Cotton Queens were delighted to perform their play, WorkTown Wakes Girls, at Bolton Museum and Library to visitors on the 5th March 2022.
