In celebration of 800 years of Magna Carta, Parliament commissioned nine artists to produce 18 large-scale banners for Westminster Hall celebrating key moments along our journey to a modern democracy.
Following the culmination of Parliament's exhibition 'The Beginning of that Freedome' the artworks are being gifted to organisations across the UK and Quarry Bank has been selected to receive the '1833 Factory Act' banner.
The '1833 Factory Act - Daily Grind' banner was produced by Joel Millerchip an image-maker based in Suffolk who visually communicates briefs by using curly-haired characters, social situations and storytelling.
Speaking about his banner, Joel said "I travelled to Quarry Bank mill to find a story that I could link to the child workers of the 1800s. I got a feel of how the child workers slept and lived—when not working shifts of 16-plus hours—and was told a story of a young pauper apprentice called Thomas who lost a finger in one of the looms. He begged to see his mother, but was refused, so ran away with his friend Joseph to visit her in Hackney. Four days later, the boys made it to Hackney, but were taken straight back to Quarry Bank to work.
"I collected tales and images from around Quarry Bank to arrange into a detailed factory illustration. I looked at 18th-century illustrations at the Cartoon Museum to find the dated style that I wanted. Since the mill was a place of illness, injuries, and deaths—including the death of childhood—I depicted the pauper apprentices as skeletons being worked to the bone, cleaning looms, carrying cans, and making money from old rope."
George Osborne, MP for Tatton, said: "I am thrilled that Quarry Bank has been selected to receive the 1833 Factory Act banner. As one of Britain's earliest and most complete industrial heritage sites, the Mill was a primary source of inspiration to the artist when he created this new piece of art."
"Having been on public display in Parliament's Westminster Hall throughout 2015, it is fantastic that people in Cheshire will have the opportunity to see the banner closer to home as part of the Quarry Bank collection and on the National Trust Collections website."
The Speaker, John Bercow, said: "Over the past eight centuries the public and their Parliament have shaped society and changed the way we live our lives. The sealing of Magna Carta in 1215 and the Montfort parliament of 1265 marked the start of the journey towards modern rights and representation, paving the way for the House of Commons and democracy as we know it today.
"Our ambition for 2015 was to capitalise on these anniversaries in order to raise awareness and understanding of the UK's democratic heritage and, in doing so, to encourage the public to better value our current parliamentary democracy. I am proud that 'The Beginnings of that Freedome' exhibition banners will continue to be seen by thousands of people across the UK – in museums, castles, churches, universities, schools and civic buildings – for many years to come. We hope that, through interacting with these unique pieces of art, the public will feel more closely connected to Parliament and more confident to exercise the liberties that the banners celebrate."
Parliament will retain four banners in the Parliamentary Archives: '1215 Magna Carta', '1829 Catholic Emancipation Act', '1838 The People's Charter', and '2015'.
