John Anstie

This building was erected in 1785 by John Anstie for the manufacture of woollen cloth. It was one of the first cloth factories in the West of England. The tympanum sculpture above commemorated this and illustrates some of the processes, machines and materials involved. These are described below. 1. A shepherd 2. Sheep 3. Shears 4. Anstie's coat of arms 5. Wiltshire's horned sheep skull 6. Anstie's house portico 7. Sheep dog 8. 18th century gentleman 9. Carding engine 10. Fulling stocks 11. 18th century lady 12. Spinning jenny 13. Conjectural portrait of John Anstie 14. Weaving loom 15. Wool fleece 16. Comb 17. Woad plant 18. Dyeing 19. Cloth on tenterhooks 20. Teasels 21. Burling irons 22. Cloth shears 23. Woven cloth. The sculpture was presented to the town by the Trust for Devizes through a bequest from the late Neil Williams, a member of the Trust for many years, who loved the town. The plaque was unveiled on October 1985 by Denis Anstie, a member of the Anstie family.

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