The Riley bookmark (a limited edition of 250), commemorates 25 years, in 1994, since the ending of Riley car production in 1969, and 100 years, in 1996, since the formation of the Riley Cycle Co. Ltd in 1896, the year the Riley family finally left the ribbon weaving industry; of which they had been a part probably for nearly one hundred years.  This industry had been the principle trade of Coventry throughout the nineteenth century.

Although the quality of Coventry made silk ribbons was renowned, as fashions changed the industry declined (There is but one surviving firm left now from that distinguished line of ribbon weavers, J & J Cash Ltd).

One of the first to diversify away from ribbons was Thomas Stevens, who adapted his Jacquard looms to produce bookmarks in 1862, and subsequently went on to manufacture his “Stevengraph” pictures, now collectors’ pieces.

Cash’s still continued this Victorian bookmark tradition on their specialised looms.  Up to3,000 laced “Jacquard” cards were used to operate the looms for each individual design, but these have now been superseded by a continuous, folded card; and each Riley Bookmark takes approximately a quarter of an hour to weave.

The lower picture shows the new Coventry Cathedral, featuring Epstein’s statue of St. Michael and Lucifer, and the upper picture shows the poignant ruins of the old Cathedral, destroyed in 1940 during the wartime bombing of the city (Unfortunately the Stevengraph factory, and all of their old stocks, were also destroyed at the time).