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Knitting for a future King

Billy Hunter

Britain’s new Royal Baby has been named George Alexander Louis and will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. The third in line to the throne appeared in public for the first time yesterday escorted by his proud parents The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, enshrouded in a luxury knitted lace shawl believed to have been knitted by Nottinghamshire, UK, based manufacturer G.H. Hurt & Son.

24th July 2013

Billy Hunter
 |  Nottingham

Knitwear, Knitted Accessories

Britain’s new Royal Baby has been named George Alexander Louis and will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. The third in line to the throne appeared in public for the first time yesterday escorted by his proud parents The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, enshrouded in a luxury knitted lace shawl believed to have been knitted by Nottinghamshire, UK, based manufacturer G.H. Hurt & Son.

“A small bundle with a wisp of dark hair, wrapped in a blanket, he emerged from the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital at 7.15pm, at the grand old age of one day and a couple of hours,” - is how The Times newspaper described the event - and the luxury intricately knitted shawl. Blanket indeed.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington following the birth of their son, 23 July 2013. © Press Association.

G.H.Hurt & Son has been supplying the finest lace knitwear since the beginning of the 20th century. From ‘The Shawl Factory’ near Nottingham, England, the company designs and manufactures the very best quality ladies shawls and scarves, baby christening shawls and a variety of heritage knitted lace products celebrating 400 years of the proud British knitwear industry. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave St Mary's Hospital in London with their newborn son, 23 July 2013. © Press Association

G.H. Hurt has a unique collection of vintage hand frame knitting machines, which are based on the first stocking frames designed by the Reverend William Lee in 1589. However, the hand frame machines work alongside modern knitting technology to produce exquisite fashion products evoking the Orenburg and Shetland styles.

The shawl carefully wrapped around His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge at his first public outing yesterday is believed to have been knitted on one of Hurt’s more modern Stoll flat knitting machines manufactured by H.Stoll GmbH & Co. KG, of Reutlingen, Germany.

A typical luxury knitted lace shawl produced by G.H. Hurt of Nottinghamshire, England. © G.H. Hurt & Son.

G.H. Hurt was founded by George Henry Hurt, grandfather of Henry Hurt the present managing director, in 1912. The business was started in an old seed warehouse built in 1781 and remains on the same site today. On 5 July 2012, international design legend Sir Paul Smith, one of Nottingham’s most famous sons, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the company's 00th anniversary.

www.ghhurt.com

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