Our Tapestry Collection

Our collections comprise a magnificent contemporary tapestry designed by Chris Ofili CBE and woven by Dovecot Tapestry Studio, Edinburgh, as well as three stunning 18th-century Brussels tapestries.

The Company began commissioning designer bindings in 2008, in order to lend vital support to the endangered craft of bookbinding. We are fortunate to include bindings by Bernard Middleton M.B.E. and Jeff Clements M.B.E. among other notable craftsmen and women in our nascent collection.

Our support is not limited to commissions alone. We sponsor prizes in the Open Choice category at the Designer Bookbinders’ Biennial Competition, fund bursaries for Designer Bookbinders and Society of Bookbinders joint masterclasses, and have recently supported Designer Bookbinders' Transferring Design programme, initiated to provide bespoke training in bookbinding to students in art colleges and universities within the UK.

We are also a founding partner of the Queen’s Bindery Apprenticeship Scheme (QBAS) based at The Royal Bindery in Windsor.

Please consult our online catalogue for further details of our holdings.

Online Catalogue
Old sketch

Who We Are

Mission Statement
Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals and communities through action, partnership and financial support. We are particularly focused on UK textiles, charity governance, and philanthropy – through The Clothworkers’ Foundation and beyond. We achieve this through:

  • Championing Textiles: We are a leading supporter of UK textiles, developing partnerships that enable us to invest in and support education, academic research and innovation, skills development, training, textiles design, heritage and conservation.

  • Fostering Community: Our Members come together in friendship, giving their time and expertise to serve others and to make a positive and sustainable impact in the City of London and beyond – by serving on our Court, as trustees or school governors, and volunteering.

  • Making a Difference: We direct our resources towards promoting opportunity and empowering people and communities. We are able to achieve this through our own initiatives and partnerships with appropriate organisations.

Vision Statement
Our vision is to build on our history and heritage of philanthropy and fellowship, becoming increasingly responsive, adaptive to change, outward looking and ambitious.

Values Statement
We want our members to be proud of being part of our livery company and to see the need to encourage and nurture the next generation of Clothworkers while inspiring each other to deliver our best. In all the work that we do, internally and externally, we aim to be PROGRESSIVE, COLLABORATIVE, and SUSTAINABLE.

Our Past

The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.

Our Past

The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.

Our Work

While few members are now involved in The Company’s root trade, we continue to support textiles by funding technical education, skills development, innovative design, the conservation of textiles heritage and craft skills, and more. Additionally, we have directed a significant amount of our grant making in recent years towards championing good governance and trusteeship, and fostered a more resilient non-profit sector in the UK. We have nurtured a common purpose among members by encouraging them to participate in trusteeship and school governance, sharing their experience and expertise with their communities.

Throughout our history, we have remained committed to supporting educational and philanthropic initiatives in the Square Mile and beyond. Although we deliver some of our charitable support directly, the primary vehicle for our philanthropy is The Clothworkers’ Foundation (registered charity no. 274100). Founded in 1977, The Clothworkers' Foundation has awarded grants in excess of £165 million to support people and communities throughout the UK, particularly those facing marginalisation or disadvantage.

THE CLOTHWORKERS' COMPANY

Man in uniform

CITY OF LONDON

Learn more about our historic role and modern purpose in the City of London.
FIND OUT MORE
People in a meeting

GOVERNANCE

Learn more about the governance of our livery company and how we manage our affairs.
FIND OUT MORE
People in a meeting

MEMBERSHIP

Learn more about becoming a Clothworker and what membership in a livery company means.
FIND OUT MORE
Cloth loom and hand

CHARITABLE GIVING

Fellowship and philanthropy are woven into the fabric of our organisation, and always have been.
FIND OUT MORE
Caps for royal guards

MILITARY AFFILIATES

We have supported the armed forces for hundreds of years, and are proud of our affiliations with the FANY, HMS Dauntless,…
FIND OUT MORE

PUBLICATIONS

Explore our publications including our membership magazines, annual reviews and Hall Guide.
FIND OUT MORE
Hall with blue chairs

CURRENT VACANCIES

Learn more about opportunities to join the team and work at The Clothworkers' Company.
FIND OUT MORE
Old sketch

The Court and Committees

The Court of Assistants is our governing body, akin to a board of trustees. The Court is headed by the Master, who serves as chair for one year and represents The Company on ceremonial occasions. The Master is assisted by four Wardens, the two most senior are the prospective Masters for the following two years; Assistants must have served a term as Warden to be eligible to serve as Master. A variable number of Assistants, promoted from among the Livery, fill the remaining seats on the Court. The work of the Court is assisted by a number of subsidiary committees. Clothworkers can find out more about the Court of Assistants and committee participation from the Members’ Area.

Professional Staff

A professional team supports the Court and manages our day-to-day operations. The Clerk is the equivalent of a chief executive. The Director of Finance, Property and Investments is the Clerk's deputy and deals primarily with investment, property, legal and personnel issues. The Beadle manages ceremonial events and the operations of the livery hall. Staff support the conservation and care of our archive and collections, finance, membership communications and events, office administration, maintenance, and more.

Meet the team.
Man smiling
Current Master
Denis Clough (2024-25) is the Master of The Clothworkers' Company.
FIND OUT MORE
Royal batch
Past Masters
We have had more than 500 Masters and Masters excused service.
FIND OUT MORE
Man in uniform

The Great Twelve

The Clothworkers’ Company, in Tower Ward, is one of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ in the City of London. Following the order of precedence set down in the 16th century, we are twelfth. There are 110 livery companies in the City, all of which are or were involved with a particular trade or craft. The oldest company is generally believed to be The Weavers’ Company, which was granted a Royal Charter in 1155. The youngest company is The Arts Scholars’ Company, which received its Letters Patent from the Court of Aldermen in 2014.

Civic City

In order to become a livery company, a guild needs to satisfy the Court of Aldermen that it supports a profession, trade or craft that is not already represented, and that it has an endowment to support charitable and educational activities. The majority of companies still support their historic trade, craft or profession in one way or another although they may no longer control or regulate it. Many companies whose original craft has disappeared – or moved outside of London – have adapted and now support the modern industries or crafts related to their historic trades as well as a variety of philanthropic objectives across the City of London and beyond.

Members of livery companies are eligible to become Free of the City of London, which in the past was an essential prerequisite for trading or voting within the City. Members of livery companies still play a role in electing The Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London.

Man in red uniform

2023 Charitable Impact

Philanthropy logo

Charitable Giving and Grants

The wealth of The Clothworkers' Company is built upon our historic property assets, and has continued to grow through generous bequests and responsible stewardship. The Court of Assistants (and supporting committees), staff and professional advisers work hard at maximising our resources to cover the cost of our operations and fund our ambitious charitable objectives.

Each year, we donate our surplus income (usually £1 to £3 million) to The Clothworkers' Foundation and direct additional charitable grants towards textiles, trusteeship, support for our military affiliates, and more.

We also direct funds towards a variety of other community projects and inter-livery initiatives, and we commission contemporary silver and designer bookbindings as a means of supporting endangered crafts.

Industry Mission

Textile infographic

2023 Impact in Textiles

Textiles: Our 'Industry Mission' refers to our annual contributions towards textiles. We make strategic grants toward four key areas to support the UK textiles industry:

1. Academic Research and Innovation
2. Technical Education and Vocational Support
3. Textiles Design and Craft, and
4. Textiles Heritage and Conservation.

2023 Impact of Other Grants

Company grants

Charitable Mission

Trusteeship: We encourage trusteeship among our members, and make strategic grants to organisations and projects aiming to improve charity governance across the UK. Find out more about our activities in Trusteeship.

Military Affiliates: We have long-standing relationships with a number of military affiliates, and fund work to support the service men and women and their communities. Find out more about our Military Affiliates.

Misc Giving: We use our position and our wealth to fund a number of other causes in the City of London, and beyond. In 2023, this included sponsorship for No Going Back as well as the City & Guilds Foundation Intertrain programmed (both are aimed at providing training and rehabilitation services for prisoners and ex-offenders). We made grants to St Paul's Cathedral to support a bursary for a chorister at the Cathedral School, to the Creative Dimension Trust, the Camden School for Girls, and the Aldgate School – among others.

We also funded bursaries for Bishopsland Educational Trust and the South House Silver Workshop Trust, supported the Licentiate Pilot Scheme to support a mentoring and training programme with Designer Bookbinders, and sponsored a new award for the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Competition (among others).

The Clothworkers' Foundation

We make substantial annual donations to The Clothworkers' Foundation. In 2023, this was approximately £1.06 million.

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A caged bird song artwork

© Chris Ofili. The Caged Bird's Song (detail), 2014-2017. Wool, cotton, and viscose. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro London, The Clothworkers' Company, and Dovecot Tapestry Studio, Edinburgh. Photography by Stephen White.

The Caged Bird's Song

Designed by the Turner Prize-winning artist, Chris Ofili CBE, and hand-woven by the internationally renowned Dovecot Tapestry Studio in Edinburgh, The Caged Bird's Song is one of our newest acquisitions. It was commissioned by The Clothworkers’ Company in 2014 as a statement of our support for our root craft and desire to protect endangered skills in textiles.

Dovecot is one of only two surviving tapestry studios in the UK, and it took a team of five master weavers more than two-and-a-half years to translate Ofili's watercolour design to the loom, interpreting, replicating, and magnifying each and every colour and nuance with great skill and artistry. The commission necessitated close collaboration between artist and maker(s), in what Ofili has described as a ‘marriage of watercolour and weaving’.

The three panels together measure some 7.5m wide by 2.8m high. It is a bold and vibrant triptych that draws on Ofili's ongoing interests in classical mythology and contemporary demi-gods, and is inspired by the stories, magic, and colour of the Trinidadian landscape Ofili inhabits.

The tapestry was installed at Clothworkers’ Hall, its permanent home, in 2017, immediately following its first public exhibition in Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic at The National Gallery, London.

Denis is a trustee of his local church restoration fund, helps to run the local tennis club and is also a trustee of a charitable foundation. He lives in Braughing, in Hertfordshire, with his wife and an assortment of dogs and horses. He and Victoria have three grown-up children (two based in London, and a third overseas).

Book a Tapestry Viewing.
Caged birds painting

The Caged Bird's Song, 2014-2017. Wool, cotton, and viscose. © Chris Ofili. Courtesy the artist, Victoria Miro London, The Clothworkers' Company, and Dovecot Tapestry Studio, Edinburgh. Photography by Stephen White. [CLC/TN/011]

Old sketch

Who We Are

Mission Statement
Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals and communities through action, partnership and financial support. We are particularly focused on UK textiles, charity governance, and philanthropy – through The Clothworkers’ Foundation and beyond. We achieve this through:

  • Championing Textiles: We are a leading supporter of UK textiles, developing partnerships that enable us to invest in and support education, academic research and innovation, skills development, training, textiles design, heritage and conservation.

  • Fostering Community: Our Members come together in friendship, giving their time and expertise to serve others and to make a positive and sustainable impact in the City of London and beyond – by serving on our Court, as trustees or school governors, and volunteering.

  • Making a Difference: We direct our resources towards promoting opportunity and empowering people and communities. We are able to achieve this through our own initiatives and partnerships with appropriate organisations.

Vision Statement
Our vision is to build on our history and heritage of philanthropy and fellowship, becoming increasingly responsive, adaptive to change, outward looking and ambitious.

Values Statement
We want our members to be proud of being part of our livery company and to see the need to encourage and nurture the next generation of Clothworkers while inspiring each other to deliver our best. In all the work that we do, internally and externally, we aim to be PROGRESSIVE, COLLABORATIVE, and SUSTAINABLE.

Our Past

The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.

Our Past

The Clothworkers’ Company was founded in 1528, following a merger of The Fullers’ Company and The Shearmen’s Company. One of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ of the City of London, our original aim was to promote the craft of clothworking, supervise the training of apprentices and welfare of members, and protect standards of workmanship.

Our Work

While few members are now involved in The Company’s root trade, we continue to support textiles by funding technical education, skills development, innovative design, the conservation of textiles heritage and craft skills, and more. Additionally, we have directed a significant amount of our grant making in recent years towards championing good governance and trusteeship, and fostered a more resilient non-profit sector in the UK. We have nurtured a common purpose among members by encouraging them to participate in trusteeship and school governance, sharing their experience and expertise with their communities.

Throughout our history, we have remained committed to supporting educational and philanthropic initiatives in the Square Mile and beyond. Although we deliver some of our charitable support directly, the primary vehicle for our philanthropy is The Clothworkers’ Foundation (registered charity no. 274100). Founded in 1977, The Clothworkers' Foundation has awarded grants in excess of £165 million to support people and communities throughout the UK, particularly those facing marginalisation or disadvantage.

THE CLOTHWORKERS' COMPANY

Man in uniform

CITY OF LONDON

Learn more about our historic role and modern purpose in the City of London.
FIND OUT MORE
People in a meeting

GOVERNANCE

Learn more about the governance of our livery company and how we manage our affairs.
FIND OUT MORE
People in a meeting

MEMBERSHIP

Learn more about becoming a Clothworker and what membership in a livery company means.
FIND OUT MORE
Cloth loom and hand

CHARITABLE GIVING

Fellowship and philanthropy are woven into the fabric of our organisation, and always have been.
FIND OUT MORE
Caps for royal guards

MILITARY AFFILIATES

We have supported the armed forces for hundreds of years, and are proud of our affiliations with the FANY, HMS Dauntless,…
FIND OUT MORE

PUBLICATIONS

Explore our publications including our membership magazines, annual reviews and Hall Guide.
FIND OUT MORE
Hall with blue chairs

CURRENT VACANCIES

Learn more about opportunities to join the team and work at The Clothworkers' Company.
FIND OUT MORE
Old sketch

The Court and Committees

The Court of Assistants is our governing body, akin to a board of trustees. The Court is headed by the Master, who serves as chair for one year and represents The Company on ceremonial occasions. The Master is assisted by four Wardens, the two most senior are the prospective Masters for the following two years; Assistants must have served a term as Warden to be eligible to serve as Master. A variable number of Assistants, promoted from among the Livery, fill the remaining seats on the Court. The work of the Court is assisted by a number of subsidiary committees. Clothworkers can find out more about the Court of Assistants and committee participation from the Members’ Area.

Professional Staff

A professional team supports the Court and manages our day-to-day operations. The Clerk is the equivalent of a chief executive. The Director of Finance, Property and Investments is the Clerk's deputy and deals primarily with investment, property, legal and personnel issues. The Beadle manages ceremonial events and the operations of the livery hall. Staff support the conservation and care of our archive and collections, finance, membership communications and events, office administration, maintenance, and more.

Meet the team.
Man smiling
Current Master
Denis Clough (2024-25) is the Master of The Clothworkers' Company.
FIND OUT MORE
Royal batch
Past Masters
We have had more than 500 Masters and Masters excused service.
FIND OUT MORE
Man in uniform

The Great Twelve

The Clothworkers’ Company, in Tower Ward, is one of the ‘Great Twelve Livery Companies’ in the City of London. Following the order of precedence set down in the 16th century, we are twelfth. There are 110 livery companies in the City, all of which are or were involved with a particular trade or craft. The oldest company is generally believed to be The Weavers’ Company, which was granted a Royal Charter in 1155. The youngest company is The Arts Scholars’ Company, which received its Letters Patent from the Court of Aldermen in 2014.

Civic City

In order to become a livery company, a guild needs to satisfy the Court of Aldermen that it supports a profession, trade or craft that is not already represented, and that it has an endowment to support charitable and educational activities. The majority of companies still support their historic trade, craft or profession in one way or another although they may no longer control or regulate it. Many companies whose original craft has disappeared – or moved outside of London – have adapted and now support the modern industries or crafts related to their historic trades as well as a variety of philanthropic objectives across the City of London and beyond.

Members of livery companies are eligible to become Free of the City of London, which in the past was an essential prerequisite for trading or voting within the City. Members of livery companies still play a role in electing The Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London.

Man in red uniform

2023 Charitable Impact

Philanthropy logo

Charitable Giving and Grants

The wealth of The Clothworkers' Company is built upon our historic property assets, and has continued to grow through generous bequests and responsible stewardship. The Court of Assistants (and supporting committees), staff and professional advisers work hard at maximising our resources to cover the cost of our operations and fund our ambitious charitable objectives.

Each year, we donate our surplus income (usually £1 to £3 million) to The Clothworkers' Foundation and direct additional charitable grants towards textiles, trusteeship, support for our military affiliates, and more.

We also direct funds towards a variety of other community projects and inter-livery initiatives, and we commission contemporary silver and designer bookbindings as a means of supporting endangered crafts.

Industry Mission

Textile infographic

2023 Impact in Textiles

Textiles: Our 'Industry Mission' refers to our annual contributions towards textiles. We make strategic grants toward four key areas to support the UK textiles industry:

1. Academic Research and Innovation
2. Technical Education and Vocational Support
3. Textiles Design and Craft, and
4. Textiles Heritage and Conservation.

2023 Impact of Other Grants

Company grants

Charitable Mission

Trusteeship: We encourage trusteeship among our members, and make strategic grants to organisations and projects aiming to improve charity governance across the UK. Find out more about our activities in Trusteeship.

Military Affiliates: We have long-standing relationships with a number of military affiliates, and fund work to support the service men and women and their communities. Find out more about our Military Affiliates.

Misc Giving: We use our position and our wealth to fund a number of other causes in the City of London, and beyond. In 2023, this included sponsorship for No Going Back as well as the City & Guilds Foundation Intertrain programmed (both are aimed at providing training and rehabilitation services for prisoners and ex-offenders). We made grants to St Paul's Cathedral to support a bursary for a chorister at the Cathedral School, to the Creative Dimension Trust, the Camden School for Girls, and the Aldgate School – among others.

We also funded bursaries for Bishopsland Educational Trust and the South House Silver Workshop Trust, supported the Licentiate Pilot Scheme to support a mentoring and training programme with Designer Bookbinders, and sponsored a new award for the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Competition (among others).

The Clothworkers' Foundation

We make substantial annual donations to The Clothworkers' Foundation. In 2023, this was approximately £1.06 million.

Tagline

Medium length section heading goes here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.

Tagline

Medium length section heading goes here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.

Tagline

Medium length section heading goes here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.

Tagline

Medium length section heading goes here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat.

18th-Century Tapestries

A wonderful counterpoint to Ofili’s magnificent design is the set of three 18th-century Cyrus tapestries that adorn our Grand Staircase.

The Cyrus Tapestries were designed by Maximilian de Haese and woven in the workshops of the Van Der Borght family in Brussels between 1771 and 1775. They were commissioned for Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, whose arms were subsequently applied to each panel. These tapestries, which originally formed part of a set of five, tell the story of Cyrus, founder of the Persian Empire. The third and fourth panels are now in the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) respectively.

Please consult our online catalogue for further details of our holdings.

Online Catalogue
A painting of a group of people sitting around a table.
Silver ornament