Did you work at the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury when it was part of Morlands? If so, a new heritage project wants to hear from you.

Earlier this year The Red Brick Building in Glastonbury was awarded £25,000 to run a project called Morlands and Baily's: Celebrating Glastonbury's Working Class Heritage.

The project is now well underway and organisers are on the look-out for more volunteers to help, and people who used to work for Morlands and Baily's to share their memories, preserving them for future generations.

The Morlands sheepskin factory dates back to the 1800s and throughout the 1900s the wool and sheepskin tanneries in Northover, Glastonbury were reputed to be the largest in Europe. By the end of the second world war, they had become one of Glastonbury's largest employers with over 5,000 workers at its peak.

By the 1980s the company folded and the buildings fell into disrepair but thankfully they were saved from demolition in 2008 by local young people who recognised their historic and community value. The Red Brick Community Benefit Society was formed and part of the factory is now a vibrant social enterprise servicing the community through arts, education and enterprise.

The heritage project, funded by Historic England's Everyday Heritage Grants, will explore the history of Morlands and Baily's by focusing on the many experiences of the people who worked for the two companies and will culminate in an exhibition and public event at the Red Brick Building in June 2023.

This will be followed by an online exhibition allowing people to revisit the material in the future. In addition, a trail will be created which maps out and reveals Glastonbury's industrial heritage.

In the months leading up to the exhibition, there will be a series of events giving people the chance to share their memories and contribute to an archive of oral histories.

The project will be getting out into the community too, by visiting libraries, community centres and visiting residents in local care homes. Students from Strode College will be involved and there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to shape how the story of Glastonbury's industrial and social heritage is told. R

esearch and planning have already started and the exhibition promises to offer something for people of all ages.

Alison Horgan, Project Co-Ordinator, commented: "This is a fantastic project, and it is immediately clear that within our community there is a treasure trove of knowledge, memories and experiences relating to the times when Morlands and Baily's operated in Glastonbury.

"There is such a rich industrial heritage and we can see this all around us in the built environment, but we want to put people at the centre of the project. Without the workers – at all levels and doing all kinds of jobs – these huge companies could never have thrived. This is an important part of our shared history and its essential that we celebrate the workers and their work in the wool and leather industries."

Several volunteers have come forward already, but The Red Brick Building would like to involve more and is inviting anyone who is interested to get in contact.

"We have several people who connect to the companies and would like to share their memories or even contribute artefacts. Others have offered skills and time in order to make this a success," continued Dr Horgan.

"We would love to hear from anyone who would like to be part of this exciting project. Whether it is to share a personal connection to either Morlands or Baily's, to lend photographs or documents relating to the wool and leather industry in Glastonbury, or to support on a practical or creative level. Please email or phone us!"

If you or anyone you know would like to be part of what promises to be a remarkable exploration of the area's recent history, please email [email protected] or phone 01458 899546.