The Clean Blue of Linen: A story from We Feed The UK – Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, Norfolk

Mallon Farm in County Tyrone is reviving the tradition of growing flax for fibre, as part of a patchwork of potatoes, grass and oats. For decades, the Irish linen industry has been importing flax from Europe, despite a rich heritage of local flax farming dating back thousands of years.

New work from Irish photographer Yvette Monahan showcases the regenerative farming efforts of Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon as they thread Irish linen back into local supply chains. Their work is not solely a nod to past heritage, it has been rejuvenating soil, waterways and wildlife as part of a shared endeavour to strengthen resilience in the Northern Irish food and farming system.

Yvette has been commissioned by We Feed The UK, a national storytelling campaign, grown by The Gaia Foundation, connecting photographers and poets with inspiring food producers to showcase their positive solutions to climate change, wildlife recovery and social justice.

The images complement new poetry by acclaimed Irish writer Abby Oliveira. Her poem ‘The Opposite of Apocalypse’ is an ode to flax farming’s potential to unite local communities and redefine what good farming looks like.

Growing a variety of crops as part of a rotation strengthens farmers’ resilience against ever-changing conditions, which has become more vital than ever in recent years. Farming for a diversity of needs, from food to fibre, even protected historic flax producers from the devastation of the potato famine.

The exhibition will be hosted on Union Farm at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse: Musuem of Norfolk Life. Through interactive displays, the museum traces the story of Norfolk farming from its Neolithic roots to the end of the Second World War and is the place to discover the history of rural life in East Anglia. A gallery space has been especially refreshed for this exhibition, meaning it is the first temporary exhibition to be hosted on Union Farm in many years.

The exhibition links to the work of the Gressenhall Environment Hub which aims to share learning, expertise and advice to inspire individual and collective action to address environmental issues.

Heritage Craft Demonstrations

This exhibition will be displayed alongside demonstrations of flax growing and processing on site as part of the much-loved Flax and Fleece Project throughout the season, delivered in partnership with the Mid Norfolk Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. Both flax and Norfolk Horn fleece have played an important role in Norfolk’s textile past. Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse holds important items relating to Norfolk’s Lopham Linen and research suggests that inmates of the House of Industry processed flax into linen on site.

Visitors can see demonstrations of these heritage skills and chat with volunteers on the following dates.

• 16 August – with special activities with Christiane Seufferlein of Berta’s Flax
• 13 September – Heritage Open Day
• 4 October – Apple Day event
• 25 October – October Half Term