Meanwhile Stephen Walters expanded the apparel business, building new mills across Suffolk and introducing the first powered looms in the 1820’s. Stephen’s son Alfred I (1822-1913) diversified the company into weaving fine umbrella silks, and then in 1900 Alfred II (1852-1937) bought the Sudbury Silk Mills site, where we still remain today. At Sudbury Silk Mills the apparel business continued to prosper, weaving a range of fabrics from black mourning crepe during the reign of Queen Victoria, to parachute silk in the 1940s. During this time Alfred II’s grandchildren, Peter Walters (1915-2011) and his brother John, introduced a range of new fabrics including Spunella for ladies dresses, tuxedo facing fabrics and repp stripes for neckwear. They also held special commissions for ceremonial occasions such as the robe and coach for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
