Whitchurch Silk Mill seeks new Chair of Trustees
23/02/2022
Whitchurch Silk Mill, a Georgian watermill still weaving silk on Victorian machinery, is looking for a new Chair of Trustees with a textile or design background to support the next stage of its transformation.
The mill is one of four silk mills in the UK and operates as a working museum, a charitable trust created to look after the site, the machinery and especially the skills. Over the last five years, the mill has worked on a £2.1m project to restore the Mill, create great visitor experiences and facilities. It is now looking to build on progress to date to create a company of weavers so that its unique heritage skills can be sustainable.
The mill’s story starts back in 1813 when the land it is built on today was owned by the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral and leased to Henry Hayter (then called a Copyhold). Henry built the original mill but was forced to sell it after a couple of years to silk merchant William Maddick.
Over the next 50 years, the mill was bought and sold several times, until the late 1800s when it was purchased by the Hide family who produced silk linings in 22 colours for the famous Burberry raincoats until 1955.
In 1990, the mill reopened as a working museum run by the Whitchurch Silk Mill Trust and, in 2018, the mill underwent a major programme of restoration and revitalisation, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other donors.
Today, collections span over 200 years and about 5,000 objects; telling the story of 200 years of silk making in Whitchurch, as well as allowing visitors to watch skilled workers using 19th century machinery. As a working museum, Whitchurch Silk Mill aspires to be a centre for heritage silk weaving with a national reputation.
About the role
As the Chair of the Trust, you will be the lynchpin of our Board, not only providing leadership to the Board but acting as a Trustee in your own right.
You will drive the Board to deliver decisions that are right for the future of the mill and act as a figurehead for Whitchurch Silk Mill and our Trust.
The Board meets four times per year, normally once per quarter either face-to-face in Whitchurch or via video chat. You may also attend meetings of the Audit and Risk Committee and of the People, Performance and Culture Committee, which meet in advance of Board meetings.
As the Leader of our Trust, it is expected that you will also attend activities and events outside of Board meetings including meetings with key stakeholders whose support makes a difference.