Voices of Courtaulds exhibition opens at Flint Library as part of the Courtauld National Partners programme

The Courtauld National Partners programme provides unique opportunities for communities across the UK to engage with The Courtauld Gallery’s collection.

Inspired by the legacy of Courtaulds Ltd, the textile company that made Samuel Courtauld his fortune, The Courtauld is collaborating with local museums and galleries to develop exhibitions, volunteer led projects and school workshops that engage with young people and communities, to learn more about the history of Samuel Courtauld’s collection and Courtaulds Ltd in their area.

The latest Courtauld National Partners collaboration with Greenfield Valley Heritage Park and their fantastic team of volunteers is now open to the public at Flint Library.

The Voices of Courtaulds exhibition is based on the memories and photographs of Courtauld employees from the five Flintshire factory sites. Courtaulds had three factory sites in Flint: Aber Works, Deeside Mills and Castle Works, and two rayon production facilities at Greenfield named Number 1 and 2.  At its height, the Courtauld company employed over 10,000 people in Flintshire.

Voices of Courtaulds explores the stories of the generations of families that worked there, including displays about the clubs, societies and sporting events, the different types of jobs and training, and the importance of Rayon. Over 120 former employees and local residents contributed their stories to the exhibition through drop-in Story Shops held in Flint and Holywell.

In September, the exhibition will move to a new exhibition space at Greenfield Valley Heritage Park to join a bigger display about Courtaulds in Flintshire, which will include audio recordings of former employees, resource packs for schools and an online catalogue of artefacts collected during the project.

Find out more about the Courtauld National Partners programme.