About Mosney Mill
The moment Emma Sutton drove down the bumpy farm track to Mosney House, in Lancashire, she knew the place was special. The overgrown hedgerows were teaming with robins, blue tits and an assortment of finches who seemed to fly out ahead of her as though guiding her on to Mosney ground.
The connection Emma felt was almost spiritual, she instantly felt she was ‘home’. The fields were overgrown and the buildings in need of some love but this little patch of land in the Lancashire countryside, on the banks of the River Darwen near Preston had to be hers.
“It was really overgrown but the hedgerows were absolutely teaming with robins and birds,” Emma remembers. “There were blue tits and finches and it felt like they were showing me, and guiding me onto, the grounds.”
“The first time I walked the land, you couldn’t see more than a few metres in front of you. I was walking our Labrador, Finn, and two Roe deer leapt out in front of me. If I’d held out my hand I could have touched them. I don’t know who was more shocked! There haven’t been many days since then that we haven’t had a visit from the Mosney Roe deer.”
Emma, with husband Dave, spent a few years renovating an old barn at the riverside site while they lived with their children, Skye and Tom, in the tired farm house. Most of Emma’s family moved to Mosney, each building their own house on the land, and each adding to the endless inspiration found at the old Lancashire Print Works.
Members of the family who share this idyllic land include Emma’s mum who is lovingly known as Mosney Nanny, Emma’s father, Pappy John, who feeds Reg the pheasant every day, and Emma’s sister Jo and her family, who also call Mosney home. The children of the family all enjoy the country lifestyle and wildlife, helping to look after the rabble of animals that Emma lovingly and, in her husband, Dave’s opinion, rather too enthusiastically collects!
Mosney Mill was Born
Inspired by the abundance of nature and wildlife that lies at the heart of Mosney, Mosney Mill as a business was launched in October 2016 by Emma with the continuous love and support of her family, her father and husband who are fellow directors of the business.
Emma picked up her pencils and began to draw animals from the gorgeous scenery she was immersed in. A range of whimsical animals began to emerge, each with a story and a special place on the family’s 11 acres of Lancashire countryside.
Sitting at a desk in her studio, which overlooks the land at Mosney, she can watch deer, dozens of varieties of birds, butterflies, the odd bunny and a variety of other wildlife. She has coined names for many of them and brought them to life through her illustrations printed onto different ranges of fabrics, wall coverings, bone china, stationery and kitchenware.
There’s Mosney Bob, a little robin who follows Emma around the land and twitters to her from a tree each morning at the chicken coop. There’s also Reg the pheasant, other birds and, butterflies and wildlife that call Mosney home and a range featuring Mosney Roe deer, inspired by that very first encounter.
“My business is built around a love of my home. “Home at Heart” is the sense of belonging I got instantly when I first arrived on Mosney and where I gain all my creative inspiration. Mosney Printworks was the birthplace of modern textile printing, and as an artist, it is my dream to revive this rich heritage.” – Emma Sutton
About Mosney Print Works
During the renovations, the family uncovered Mosney’s rich history. Mosney on the banks of the River Darwen near Preston in Lancashire, was the site of a former print works, known as Mosney Print Works.
Meet Mosney Mill’s Animals
At Mosney Mill there are so many beautiful animals and wildlife roaming the grounds, each with their own unique characters. Many of which have inspired the collections.
