Bairns-Wear: Wools and Woollies

From the collection of

MACE is the strategic lead organisation for screen heritage for the East and West Midlands regions. An independent charity based at University of Lincoln, MACE preserves and makes accessible a collection of more than 100,000 historic moving images representative of the diverse cultures and histories of communities throughout the heart of England from the Lincolnshire coast to the Welsh border.

Bairns-Wear: Wools and Woollies

Media Archive for Central England
Sherwood
1960-01-01
Sound

From a smart cricket jumper to brightly coloured woollies, Bairns-Wear suits all: from birth to teenager.

From the days when children's clothes were all made in the UK and not imported from various lower wage economies around the world we have this short and sweet commercial for Bairns-Wear knitwear. Back in the early sixties the Nottingham firm had a 'woollie' available for every child (from birth to teen they say). A tiny snap-shot from an era soon after the teenager was 'born' but before they stopped wearing knitted cardigans to look like dad.

Bairns-Wear was one of a multitude of East Midlands based textile manufactures. The firm had headquarters in Nottingham with a large factory on Nottingham Road in Sherwood and a subsidiary works on Raymouth Lane in Worksop. The firm became part of the Courtaulds empire before succumbing to cheap imports in the 1980s. The Nottingham factory is now the site of a supermarket.

Commercial Television

The launch of ITV on 22 September 1955 brought advertising to the small screen. Commercial television spread rapidly across the country, inviting the salesperson into every living room.

This collection shows how some advertisers struggled to find the right voice and formats for the new medium, while others hit the ground running. Look out for rare examples of the shortlived 'admags' - banned in 1962 for blurring the distinction between programmes and adverts.