Eleanor specialised in weaving at Manchester Metropolitan University and was awarded the residency as a prize at the MMU Degree Show in June 2025. She is aiming to connect Paradise Mill and the Silk Museum through her new designs, telling the story of Paradise Mill through designs inspired by Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, imagery and colour. Her previous work has been inspired by the architecture and heritage of Manchester. The residency will end with an exhibition of Eleanor’s work in autumn 2025.

On days when Eleanor is working, tour visitors to Paradise Mill can speak to Eleanor about her work, bringing contemporary textile practice into the historic space and providing modern perspectives and relevance to the largely historic tours. We will bring the mill back to life, creating a dynamic workspace for a recently graduated textile artist to introduce a modern perspective on the textile industry today, including its impact on the environment and sustainability, as well as a global scope, viewing Macclesfield as part of a wider textile network in the past, present and future.

Staff and volunteers have also been working hard to restore the Mill’s traditional handlooms and we now have a restored Dobby handloom that is suitable for use by contemporary weavers. This mechanism allows for more complex designs than a treadle loom but is less intricate than a Jacquard loom and are best suited for weaving geometric patterns with a limited number of threads.

Consultation with new textile graduates as part of the museum’s recent collaborations with MMU indicated that there is a desire for textile graduates to find a space and equipment to develop their craft following their studies. This project would give a graduate the space, freedom and equipment needed to continue to develop their craft and ideas, as well as an opportunity to showcase their art through an exhibition.

However, while the silk industry is a part of Macclesfield's past, Jacquard handlooms elsewhere are still used to manufacture fabrics. Furthermore, there are many contemporary issues surrounding textiles, the environment and sustainability that are not currently addressed in the mill. In the Silk Museum we have been beginning to introduce these topics and they have been positively received by the public. 

This project is not an isolated project; it marks a shift in thinking about the mill and its place in the art world, which will stretch beyond the project’s short timescale.

We can’t wait to see where the residency leads, both for Eleanor and the mill’s future.

Experience this incredible space for yourself - book a tour of Paradise Mill here. If you’d like to keep up-to-date with our events including Eleanor’s exhibition in September 2025 and future resident events, visit here.

Follow Eleanor’s creative journey on Instagram at @eleanorgodfreyart and eleanorgodfreytextiles.co.uk