Description and History of Site:-
A precision woodturning company that started producing items for the textile industry in a windmill powered shed and was in at the start of the Dobby Loom revolution and ended producing items of such a range that the company claimed, 'there is scarcely a home or business without some product of the company within its walls'. The woodturning business was started in 1862 by William Thompson who worked from a small shed with a windmill to provide power on a site called Rose Mount in Sutton-in-Craven. William was the village joiner and undertaker and when starting out in business only had the help of one boy. The business expanded into an 'old cotton mill' (as described on the 1892 six inch Ordnance Survey map), NGR SE00539 43937, alongside the original shed.
The expansion of the business was driven by the invention in Sutton-in-Craven of the Dobby, a major improvement to the weaving loom to enable the weave to incorporate a pattern, much like a jacquard loom but using a smaller number of harnesses to move the warp yarns up and down, producing a simpler geometrical pattern than the more complex, and expensive jacquard loom, but crucially was able to be retrofitted to an existing standard loom.
William Thompson was asked to make the wooden prototype Dobby in 1865 although by 1867 loom makers such as Hattersley's in nearby Keighley had taken over production of the Dobby itself using iron, however William went on to produce the Lag and pegs in wood, essential components to be used with the Dobby. This gave the works its popular local name 'the peg and lag shop'. The Lag and pegs were instrumental in giving the cloth its pattern depending on the positioning of the pegs on the Lag (the jacquard loom used punched cards to achieve a pattern). The Lag and pegs continued to be produced in wood well into the mid 20th century with Thompson's producing millions annually as orders came flooding in from all over the world, made from a specially imported wood called Cornel or Dog Wood.
A letter to potential customers was printed in a Victorian brochure from William Thompson at Rose Mount Works, Sutton-in-Craven, Keighley, West Yorkshire;
''Dear Sirs
I am the original maker of what is now so well known in the market as the Keighley Dobby which was invented by Mr John Smith and myself and made by me at Sutton-in-Craven in the year 1865. In 1867, the making of the Dobby was taken over by loom makers and from that time up to the present, I have made a speciality of making the lags and pegs used with the Dobby. Having all the original templates, pitches, gauges &c, I know exactly how lags and pegs should be made. Being the first maker of the Keighley Dobby, and also the lags and pegs therewith, I claim to have more experience as to the best classes of wood necessary for producing the most perfect lag and peg than any other maker in existence. I might add that since I commenced as a lag and peg maker, I have executed very large orders for more than half-dozen of the leading Dobby makers and good many mill furnishers.
Now I am in a position to deal direct with manufacturers and to supply all kinds of lags and pegs required for any Dobby in the market, a large stock of upwards of 150 different sorts being always kept on hand.
Maker of the spring peg, as shown on the front page, of which a large quantity are in use and giving every satisfaction. No breakages or falling out. Ends nicely rounded, thus causing no more wear on the feeler than any ordinary wood peg.
Yours Respectfully,
William Thompson''.

By 1899 Williams nephew Walter had joined the firm, Walters father already employed there at the time. The business began designing their own machines to create increasingly specialist and diverse products which would help the firm survive when the textile industry suffered slumps in future years.
Following Williams death in 1899, his nephews Walter and brother John Robert were given the opportunity to buy the business for £400, consequently in 1899 the business became W & J.R Thompson (Woodturners).
By 1920 Walter and John Robert had made plans to move the business from Rose Mount to a larger purpose built factory on nearby Holme Lane on land called the 'Vineries', which would have good north light and excellent facilities for the 50 workers, Walter in particular was very keen that his workers should not endure dark unpleasant working conditions. The new factory would also have dust extraction long before it became a legal requirement.
The works had its own smithy in which specialist machine tools were made to the companies own design.
Unfortunately there followed an economic depression at this time that crippled the textile industry, fortunately Walter and his brother had diversified into a more widespread woodturning business producing a huge range of precision turned and sawn items for various trades and survived the downturn and not suffering short time working.
The sons of Walter Thompson, Irvin and Clifford joined the company around 1931 working in the Engineering and Maintenance Department. In 1936 the firm became a Limited Company, with the brothers Irvin and Clifford becoming Directors and Walter as Managing Director.
The diversification of products continued into the 1930's and avoided recession again. At this time the company had produced 500,000 yo-yo's from off-cuts of 20 different types of woods to satisfy the new craze. Around this period the companies 130 workers were producing 24,000,000 turned and sawn parts per year. Woods used along with Cornel was Boxwood, Degame, Lancewood, Lignumvitae and Teak.
With the outbreak of World War 2 and women taking over the roles from men, Walter was impressed by the speed in which jig work and the handling of even the tiniest of turned component was picked up by the ladies. With imported timber being virtually cut off by the war the firm set up a saw mill on site along with drying kilns for UK grown timber such as Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Oak and Ash. The firm was very secretive about their wartime work but its known that over 90% of their output was for the war effort, the Government had its own full-time inspection department and bonding room on site.

John Robert died in June 1945.
After the War the firm made components for Government Utility furniture to replace bomb damaged items.
In the 1950's the products produced comprised of turned parts for the textile, engineering, electrical and furnishing trades. Size of components varied from 18 inches long (457mm) 4 1/2 inches diameter (114mm) down to turned parts so small that hundreds could fit inside a matchbox. Popular items produced ranged from tool handles to parts for board games and even toffee apple sticks.
Walter Thompson when in his late 70's whilst still Managing Director could be found in the works making Lags from time to time 'keeping his hand in' until his death in 1956.

By 1962 the workforce numbered 80 and at the Centenary of the company each received £1 for each year service with the company.
Increased use of plastics diminished orders for wood components leading to Thompson's closing in 2004 and the site being cleared for housing in 2005.

Further Reading and References:-
With grateful thanks to Elizabeth Benjamin, Granddaughter of Walter Thompson for her invaluable help.
Chapel, Wood and War - Stories Behind a Yorkshire Family Business, Elizabeth Benjamin and Christine Cumming.
A Short History of the firm of W & J.R. Thompson (Woodturners) Ltd, published by Thompson's.
A video of the preparation of lags here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qloUCnUM7I

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Key Words :- dobby loom woodturners lag peg

Address :- Holme Lane, Sutton-in-Craven, Keighley, North Yorkshire
Grid Ref :- SE 00683 44653
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.898048 , Long -1.991092
Local Authority :- Craven District Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site demolished or no longer extant
Site Condition :- Site redeveloped to residential housing
Site Dates :- 1920 - 2004
Record Date :- 15 July 2020

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Andrew Garford