Partners
John Smedley was established in 1784 with the opening of Lea Mill, by Peter Nightingale, a relative of Florence Nightingale, and the company’s namesake John Smedley. The company originally specialised in muslin fabric and spinning cotton.
John Smedley’s son - also named John Smedley - took over operations of the mill in 1825. Using one of the first ever fully fashioned knitting machines, Smedley began producing undergarments.
During the First World War the company undertook contracts to produce military clothing, and this continued into the Second World War. Despite the Great Depression, the company continued to expand and develop new clothing ranges including their three-button Polo shirt which has been in production ever since.
By the 1950’s and 1960’s, John Smedley was being worn by the biggest stars of the day. Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and The Beatles all wore John Smedley knitwear. Every single James Bond in the 007 franchise has worn John Smedley on screen.
Today, the company remains owned and run by the Smedley family.
Find out more about John Smedley’s history here.
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John Smedley Archive
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John Smedley Archive Volunteers:
Margaret Maddocks
Iris Smedley
Ann Thompson
Maggie XXX
Tony XXX
Roland XXX
[Section heading]
The Hands
Kim Noce
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The Hands
An paean to historic working lives
2026, XX', UK
The Hands
An paean to historic working lives
A film by Kim Noce
Music and Sound by Hutch Demouilpied
Mix by Fonic
Mix Amylo, spoken words and vocals
Andrea Artz, spoken words
Tullis Rennie, spoken words and trombone
Otti Albietz, vocals and drums
Mark Greenwood, guitar
Hutch Demouilpied, vocals, baritone horn and trumpet
Barnaby Templer, Sound Supervisor
Stephen Maxwell, Sound Assistant
Christopher Swaine, Dubbing Mixer
[heading] Explore more
Sandra Maycock has been a volunteer with the John Smedley Archive for eight years. A former primary school teacher, she was drawn to Smedley’s by her interest in the history of knitwear and her long‑standing hobby of hand‑spinning and knitting her own yarn from raw sheep fleece.
For WORK Records, Sandra interviewed two fellow volunteers - Iris Smedley and Tony Wetton – both of former workers at Smedley’s.
Follow this link to read Sandra’s blog post about her Iris and Tony, and how her experience as a volunteer has supported her own practice.
Follow this link to read a transcription of Sandra’s interviews with Iris and Tony.
