Crittall Windows Archive Secrets To Be Revealed

Crittall Windows Ltd, Braintree District Museum Trust Ltd and Braintree District Council are excited to announce a joint project to research and develop the Crittall company archive held at Braintree District Museum.

The Archive contains over 2,000 documents, catalogues and photographs illustrating the growth and development of a local ironmonger to worldwide window manufacturer. The project will fund a young apprentice, Richard White, who will be cataloguing the Archive to improve access and knowledge of this internationally significant collection.

By the early twentieth century, Crittall Windows had become a worldwide window manufacturer with factories and agents from South Africa to Australia. Further funding will be sourced in 2013 to develop an online database of the Archive.

Crittall Windows was a larger employer in Braintree and by the 1920s employees and their families accounted for over half of the town’s population. If you or a member of your family worked for the company, we would like to hear from you.

On Thursday 29 November from 2.30 – 4pm the Museum will be holding an event ‘Collecting Crittalls’. If you would have any objects, documents or photographs you would like to donate to the Crittall Windows Archive please come along. We are particularly interested to hear from people who worked abroad for the company.

Councillor Jo Beavis, Cabinet Member for Communities was delighted with the development of the Archive as “it will be a wonderful opportunity for our modern apprentice to explore such an important part of Braintree District’s history. It is a great example of partnership work between the Museum and a manufacturing company based in this District”

For further information and photograph opportunities in the Crittall Gallery please contact Claire Willetts at claire.willetts@braintree.gov.ukor 01376 325266.