AN historic tapestry has been unveiled at Darwen Heritage Centre.

The tapestry was created by the design team at textile and soft furnishing manufacturer Herbert Parkinson to mark the end of weaving by the 82-year-old firm.

Produced in Darwen, it is a replica of the one that hangs in John Lewis’ Flagship store on Oxford Street in London. It has been given to the centre to commemorate the history of the site and its importance to Darwen.

The company announced it would be creating 70 new jobs in November following a £3million investment by their parent company, the John Lewis Partnership, to expand Herbert Parkinson’s Harvest Mill factory in Monton Road, Darwen.

It extended the curtain and blind service it currently delivers, growing the range of products offered to customers that are made at the site.

The servicing of John Lewis’s ‘any shape any fabric’ offer was also moved from the Darwen site to Magna Park in Milton Keynes. The weaving process at Herbert Parkinson was also closed.

The shake-up has created the space for extra product lines and new employees.

MP for Rossendale and Darwen, Jake Berry said: “I spent a brilliant morning at the Darwen Heritage Centre to officially handover some important pieces of Darwen’s history. 

“The tapestry and other articles come from Harvest Mill, formerly Sunnyhurst Mill, home to Herbert Parkinson and the John Lewis Partnership. 

“Although there may no longer be any weaving at the Mill, it’s fantastic news that the company has invested over £3million in the site creating 70 new local jobs.”

Darwen Town Council mayor Roy Davies, who also attended the event, said: “It was a great event. The tapestry is only small, but it’s nice to think that they thought about us when they had it done.

“Hopefully it will encourage more people to visit the Heritage Centre, it’s such an interesting place.”