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25/01/2013
Belfast's Last Linen Mill To Close
The last working linen mill in Belfast has announced it will close.
Copeland Linens Limited is based in the Shankill area of the city, and has been operating for 58 years.
At the height of the mill’s successes, it produced materials for Irish embassies around the world.
But now it has closed; the latest victim of the economic downturn.
The linen industry was at one stage a major Belfast export. In the 19th Century, when Belfast was one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, the linen industry was a major driver in its expansion.
Towards the end of the 1800s, about 100,000 people worked in the trade, making it the largest employer in the city.
A message left on the company’s website from owner John Copeland explained: "After 58 years running my linen company I have decided to retire and close Copeland Linens Ltd.
"What with my failing health and the current downturn and all the problems of being an employer, along with collecting VAT, National Insurance, Corporation Tax & Rates etc., only being a collector of revenue for the State, I feel I must retire before I hit the big 80th Birthday.
"I thank all my customers for their orders and support through the 58 years."
(IT)
Copeland Linens Limited is based in the Shankill area of the city, and has been operating for 58 years.
At the height of the mill’s successes, it produced materials for Irish embassies around the world.
But now it has closed; the latest victim of the economic downturn.
The linen industry was at one stage a major Belfast export. In the 19th Century, when Belfast was one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, the linen industry was a major driver in its expansion.
Towards the end of the 1800s, about 100,000 people worked in the trade, making it the largest employer in the city.
A message left on the company’s website from owner John Copeland explained: "After 58 years running my linen company I have decided to retire and close Copeland Linens Ltd.
"What with my failing health and the current downturn and all the problems of being an employer, along with collecting VAT, National Insurance, Corporation Tax & Rates etc., only being a collector of revenue for the State, I feel I must retire before I hit the big 80th Birthday.
"I thank all my customers for their orders and support through the 58 years."
(IT)
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