Papermaking in Northern Ireland

A Six Day Residency at The Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, Lisburn
14th 19th March 2011

Situated in the heart of Lisburn, this award winning museum combines old and new architecture to present a fantastic account of the history of linen and its importance to the town. The education room in the museum became a papermakers studio during Science Week, and linen recycling was the key element in the process. The programme was designed by Collette Brownlee, Education Services Officer at The Irish Linen Centre, and Jonathan Korejko, Papermaker and Printmaker. 250 children and adults were involved in the project over a six day period. Each day, children from various schools as well as families from different community groups joined Jonathan and enthusiastic museum staff in the education room. Over the week 12 school groups and 2 community groups attended the papermaking sessions, as well as 6 open sessions. There were 25 booked sessions in total.

Jonathan began each papermaking session with a demonstration in which he used offcuts of pure Irish linen from Fergusons, a linen mill just 17 miles south of Lisburn. This cloth was cut up and put into a liquidiser to expose the flax fibres which were then turned into paper pulp.

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

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The programme outline was: 1) To learn about the linen process, and how flax could be used to make paper. 2) To discover how flax fibres could be made into paper pulp using offcuts of linen from the linen mill. 3) To make papers of different colour and texture based on the colours and threads in the recycled materials. 4) To emphasize the scientific aspects of papermaking, and to highlight how papermakers and printers created the basis for all modern forms of Communication

In order to have enough linen pulp to run the programme, Jonathan brought buckets of prepared material from his studio in Lincolnshire. Offcuts of linen were ground up in his Hollander beater, a special machine which breaks down cloth and and renders the fibres out of it.

Angela Beggs, Assistant Education Services Officer, teaching a child how to couch off his newly formed linen paper.

The children needed the assistance of adult helpers to handle the papermaking equipment, but after a few goes they began to work more independently. In the case of community groups, parents and carers learned alongside the children, and a great sense of team work developed.

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

Page 2 of 7

Daffodils growing in the nearby Castle Gardens were picked to dye the flax fibres in the vat. They were added to the pulp by the children . Jonathan also picked clover from the garden to add to the St Patricks day shamrock papers.

Dr. Alison Muir and her family had a go at making all of the different recipes in the vats. Jonathan wore a special hat during the workshops, which was made with linen paper using the same techniques that everyone was learning about during the workshops.

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

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Pieces of linen cloth were on display, along with chopped linen, flax fibres, and flax plants growing in a seed tray ! There were also samples of various papers made with the recycled fibres hanging on the wall for everyone to examine .

Dr. Alison Muir prepared a photo documentary on the history of papermaking in the Lisburn area. As it is possible to visit all of the sites which she highlighted, hopefully a few of the new papermakers were encouraged to learn more about their industrial heritage.

17th Century book written by Jeremy Taylor, Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Connor and religious writer. 4th edition 1696 (first published 1660). Displayed in a glass case adjacent to the education room. Peoples attention was drawn to this book, as its pages would have been made with linen rags in the same way that we were making paper from recycled linen.

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

Page 4 of 7

The flax fibres which came from the linen rags were very water retentive, and hence the newly formed paper took a long time to drain on the mould. In order to make it easier for the beginner papermakers, the fibres were sponged off from under the mould. Then, the newly formed paper, still on the mould, was pressed down onto a sponge tower. As it was released, a lot of liquid was sucked out from the flax fibres.

. This drier sheet of paper was then "couched" onto the curved "couching table" in the normal fashion.

Linen paper presents special problems in drying, as it shrinks more than other fibres. The children learned how to exchange dry their new papers by double pressing them in a bookbinders press before taking them home. This process ensured that the papers would dry flat and even with a smooth surface. The bookbinding press did a splendid job, and the children loved turning its handle.
J.Korejko 2011 T: 01526 378222 E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk W: www.timberlandand.co.uk Page 5 of 7

The Linen Paper Collection

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

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Growing linen paper with flax seeds incorporated into the paper.

The Mobile Papermaking Road show

HAVE PULP WILL TRAVEL !

This report has been written by Jonathan . Korejko, papermaker / printmaker 2011. Special thanks to Dr Alison Muir for permission to reproduce her historical images, and to the Irish Linen Centre for permission to reproduce the photograph of the Jeremy Taylor book. Photographs by Jonathan Korejko, Angela Beggs , and staff at The Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum.

J.Korejko 2011

T: 01526 378222

E: jj.ck@zen.co.uk

W: www.timberlandand.co.uk

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