Banbridge factory recreates luxury Titanic linen

Ferguson’s Irish Linen, the last remaining weaver of Irish Linen Damask, went to great pains to reproduce the design on table cloths and napkins.

The “Adam” design linen displays the original White Star Line logo, which the factory was granted a licence to use.

While there would have been around 6,000 tablecloths and 45,000 napkins brought on board in 1912, the factory has produced a token amount for sale in this, the 100th anniversary year of the Belfast-built ship’s sinking.

Keen not to pass up an opportunity to be involved in the anniversary celebrations, the factory is glad to be part of such a big year for Northern Ireland, said Managing Director David Neilly.

“This is the first time this design has been produced in linen on our modern looms and has been transferred from our historic pattern books onto a computer disc by our in house Design Team to allow us to weave,” he said. “This process alone has taken several weeks and, as the first boxes of Titanic linen were dispatched from the factory, the weavers, trimmers, sewers, lappers, and ornamenters were delighted to have become a part of history by being involved in the making of the Titanic linen and quite rightly, very proud of a job well done.”

Last year the factory was commissioned to provide bed linen as the Royal wedding gift for the newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Ferguson’s Linen is also highly sought-after by people across the world, including Arab royalty.

The Titanic anniversary linen is now available from Titanic Belfast, Lisburn Linen Museum, Kilkenny Shop Dublin, Kilkenny Design Centre, the Titanic Experience Cobh and online.