SOUND ARCHIVE

Living Linen Interview LL2_R00/24

Sound Recording : Magnetic Tape, Reel

Johnson, David (Mr) (Primary maker)
Johnson, David (Mr) (interviewee)

24/03/2000
24/03/2000

Sound Recording on Reel: Hennings & Clendinnings. Library Transcript: Transcript. Summary: Mr Johnson's wife, Margaret, was a member of the Johnston family. The Johnstons were a prominent linen family with interests in Johnston Allen and in Clendinnings. Immediately after WWII David joined Hennings of Waringstown as a trainee sales manager. After a year he transferred to the firm's warehouse in Alfred Street. Hennings specialised in weaving wide sheetings and damasks. They sold to the major department stores throughout the UK, Europe and North America. Hennings was owned by the Walpole family who had originally been linen merchants in Dublin. The family continued to run and supply their own chain of drapery stores, trading under the name Walpole. They had two shops in London (one of which was on New Bond Street), one in New York, one in Dublin and one in Boston. Mr Johnson left Hennings in 1947/8. David Johnson's father-in-law, Arthur Johnston was in partnership with James Clendinning in a small factory in Market Street Lurgan. Arthur Johnston asked David to come into the firm to succeed Mr Clendinning as manager in 1950-5l. The factory had previously been a block printing concern, producing mourning handkerchiefs with a black band. Arthur Johnston had overseen the introduction of silk screen printing to the company. When David Johnson joined the company they were only printing cotton handkerchiefs. The firm quickly branched out into linen glass cloths, a significantly bigger market, and secured a number of contracts throughout Northern Ireland. The Market Street factory burnt down and production moved to the Lurgan Handprinting Company. This firm was jointly owned by Moygashel and Johnston Allen. Arthur Johnston first rented part of the buildings and later purchased shares and renamed the firm James H Clendinning & Company. With the extra space and capacity the firm was unable to sustain itself on household linens. The decision was made to branch out into furnishing fabrics and to actively court customers in England. Mr Johnson travelled around the top design houses in Europe purchasing upholstery designs which he then sold on to furniture manufacturers, at cost price, in the hope that they would secure the contract for printing the fabric. This strategy proved successful and Clendinnings reputation and business grew hand-in-hand. They printed for Parker-Knoll, Courtaulds and Sandersons. Once their reputation for quality and reliability had been established, Clendinnings largely abandoned their policy of purchasing designs. When a design was purchased by Clendinnings they were buying exclusive rights to that design. Copying of successful prints was, however, uncommon even if designers were known to have made almost insignificant changes to a design and to have sold it over again. Most of the furnishing fabrics were linen unions. This provided excellent abrasion resistance and also took dye-stuffs very well. This provided a uniform finish and helped ensure colour-fastness. Although Clendinnings produced and stored the silk screens, they remained the property of the customer and could be withdrawn at any time. There was an initial charge for manufacturing the screen which was re-usable if a repeat order was lodged. Clendinnings experienced a lot of trouble with inconsistent bleaching and eventually installed their own bleach works, recommending that they bleached any cloth that they were to print. Clendinnings later bought over the Ulster Print Works from the Copeland family. Mr Johnson left the firm in 1989.

HOYFM.R2000.56

National Museums NI