RESIDENTS who worked in Witney's famous blanket industry shared their memories during an afternoon celebrating the trade in the town.

About 75 people packed into Witney & District Museum yesterday for an event dedicated to a new book about the industry by Angela Proffitt, an author from Shipton-under-Wychwood.

The text, entitled 'Mill Memories' A People's History - Life and times of the Witney Blanket Workers', features the tales of those who were employed in the town's four blanket factories.

It is Ms Proffitt's first book, with the author explaining she felt it was important to tell the stories of the people who made the industry tick.

She said: "I want it to be a celebration of working people, that's why I wrote it.

"History is so often about kings and queens and the workers don't get mentioned."

Read also: Museum celebrates blanket industry with new exhibition

The event was attended by several people who worked in the industry and their relatives, with Ms Proffitt signing copies of the text.

Among those was Rosemary Dunstan, who worked in the blanket factory offices, while her husband worked at the mill.

Ms Dunstan showed an article written in the Witney Gazette about the couple from 1969.

Also in attendance were Jonathan Smith and his father, David, who worked at Smiths Blanket Mill in Bridge Street. The former is the great-great grandson of William Smith, who founded the mill.

Oxford Mail:

Four blanket factories operated seven mills in Witney after the Second World War, but this came to a sudden end with the closure of the largest blanket-maker, Early's, in 2002.

The Witney and District Museum is celebrating the town's relationship with blankets until October.

Among the exhibits showcasing the industry's 350-year history in the town is a special Beatles blanket, created in honour of the band in the 1960s.

The museum celebrates other aspects of Witney's past, including Wychwood Brewery and St Mary's Church.