Father and Daughter Weave Silk Together at the Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire England

On July 4th, 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th birthday of the country. There will be a lot of festivities. The Semiquincentenial Commission wanted to make a replica of the clothes that Geroge Washington wore during his swearing-in ceremony and wanted to get it as close to the original as possible. The problem is, few companies can create a silk coat like the first president’s. The commission searched to find out who could create such a thing. The answer: The Whitchurch Silk Mill, which has been making silk clothing, ribbons, and scarves for over 200 years.

The Whitchurch Silk Mill was built in 1815 and at first made wool articles of clothing, but then changed to silk. The mill quickly became famous for its fine material. The finest clothing stores in London sold Whitchurch Mill products, which were also shipped to stores around the world. During Britain’s industrial revolution, the rich and upper middle class wore their Whitchurch articles with pride.

My 10-year-old daughter and I were driving around southeast England and stopped at the mill for a tour. While going over our itinerary before the trip, I thought visiting Whitchurch would be a brief stop where I could tell a story and take some colorful photos. I didn’t think it would be as fun and interesting as it turned out to be.

We arrived at the Whitchurch Silk Mill on a cloudy day as rain sprinkled down on us. The first thing I noticed was its picturesque Georgian-style brick building, next to a stream filled with ducks. It was the type of place that if it weren’t for the light rain, it would’ve been fun to take many outside shots of the building. Despite the rain, my daughter entertained some ducks before we entered the building.

Immediately upon entering, my daughter and I both left any type of pre-considered notions about how the day was going to go. The machinery and the workings of the silk mill instantly enthralled us.

As the time changed and factories moved onto machines that made silk articles of clothing in bulk, Whitchurch Silk Mill refused to bend the knee and continued to make perfect products their way. Generations have come and gone, but the silk stays the same.

Half-way through our experience, we stopped for sandwiches, cookies, and tea. The rain continued to pelt the grass, but we stayed dry under the mill’s gazebo. My daughter was beaming with happiness at where our adventures had taken us. After we ate a delicious meal, we walked up some steps to create our own silk project. I couldn’t help but stop and watch my daughter work, and not just because she picked up the project faster than I did. I stopped to watch my daughter being in her creative element. Her curiosity blossomed while walking through the silk mill, and getting the chance to weave silk together was the icing on top of a perfect day.

After we left, we continued on our journey touring the southeast of England. We were 90 minutes away from our next stop, and I think she talked for all 90 of those minutes about how much fun she had and how interesting silk weaving can be. Every once in a while, I looked in the rearview mirror while she excitedly talked about wanting to weave silk for a job one day. If that job takes her to the lovely hills of Northern Hampshire, I might have to join her.