Collection of papers relating to the work of James Stewart Schofield with the Calico Printers Association, English Calico and Tootal, including his research notebooks from 1939, the publication CPA Range of Standard Designs, CPA Annual Reports for 1960-1961 and 1964, and correspondence and papers relating to the merger of the CPA with English Sewing Cotton to form English Calico in 1968.

Formed in 1899, the Calico Printers Association was a major player in the consolidation and development of the UK textile industry during the 20th century, and particularly from the period of the Second World War until its merger with English Sewing Cotton in 1968.

The papers of James Schofield illustrate the type of research chemistry being carried out by the CPA at its Manchester lab and at the Broad Oak Works site in Accrington into standard printing and dyeing processes concurrent with the development of synthetic fibres. The CPA attempted to maintain traditional textile processes at a time when the industry was contracting, and the papers on offer here provide context for this period.

The papers relating to the merger of the CPA with English Sewing Cotton provide context to the contraction of the textile industry in Manchester in the 1960s. Both the scientific and business records help to the story of how Manchester’s textile firms tried to adapt and innovate in the face of changing circumstances.

The work of James Schofield as a research chemist and later a works manager with the Calico Printers Association and as a textile company manager at a former CPA works, relates to multiple Science and Industry Museum archive collections for the CPA including fabric sample books, the CPA Star, photographs and publications.