BYGONES
The works at Church operated by Steiner and (right) an example of the roller-printed cotton furnishing fabric by Steiner & Co from 1902 on display in the V&A, London.
CHEMIST Frederick Steiner pitched up in London from his native Alsace not long after Waterloo with a few pennies in his pocket and even fewer words of the language.
He had left a lot of debt behind him, yet within a few years he was one of the richest men in England and had helped to established East Lancashire on the global scene.
Steiner was known to have been developing an elusive red dye - the ‘Holy Grail’ as far as fabric producers were concerned. And, soon after his arrival, he accepted an invitation from Adam Dugdale to travel to Accrington and continue his research at the Broad Oak Print Works.