pattern/despatch book

For hundreds of years Norwich was a city built on the prosperity of its textiles industry, and for a time was England’s second city. This is an example of the important collection of pattern books held in the collection at Norfolk Museums Service. Each one full of a dazzling array of designs that ensured ‘Norwich stuffs’ were famous across the world. The fame for Norwich textile was at its height between 1600 and 1800. Dating from the late 18th century it this book was used by merchants to show customers the available weaves, the annotations of despatched orders and mercantile code marks are still evident next to the samples. By 1740 around a quarter of Norwich textiles were being exported to supply the worlds demand for Norwich cloth, at the same time four wagons per week were leaving for London full of waterproofed packages to be sold by London merchants to the bustling city and provincial towns.