Christy

Christy is a British home-textiles brand whose story began in 1850. Its heritage account traces the business to Henry Christy’s return to Britain from Turkey with unfamiliar fabrics, including a fluffy, looped cloth. His brother Richard and an employee, Samuel Holt, worked out how to make the material themselves. The brand presents this development as a key part of the history of the modern towel. Christy’s early speciality was Turkish towelling. In 1851, the Christys established industrial production at Fairfield Mill near Manchester and presented their towels at the Great Exhibition. The company later became known as W.M. Christy & Sons. Christy’s heritage narrative describes large-scale towel production by the 1890s and records early international exhibition activity in Melbourne and Toronto in 1928 and 1929. Today, Christy’s online shop offers bath and beach towels, bath mats and rugs, robes, bedding, duvet sets, sheets, throws and cushions, duvets and pillows, loungewear and related bundles. Its product pages emphasize materials, comfort, craftsmanship and home use. For example, the Oslo Throw is described as a chunky-knit, 100% cotton throw made in India; the Cosy Robe combines a cotton-polyester construction with terry towelling inside and microvelour outside, and is made in Turkey. The brand identifies itself with British heritage and luxury home comforts. It states that it has been the Official Towel of The Championships, Wimbledon since 1987. Its current website presents products for the UK market, including UK delivery information. The supplied material does not identify Christy’s current owner, parent company, headquarters or listed status.

Christy’s official heritage account dates its beginnings to 1850. It says Henry Christy returned to Britain from an expedition to Turkey with a collection of unfamiliar fabrics, including a fluffy, looped cloth. Richard Christy, Henry’s brother, and Samuel Holt, an employee, worked out how to make the fabric. This early work established the basis for Christy’s towel-making heritage. In 1851, the Christys created a machine for producing their Turkish towelling fabric at industrial scale and established operations at Fairfield Mill on the outskirts of Manchester. They presented their towels at the Great Exhibition, where, according to the company’s account, Queen Victoria took notice of them. By the 1890s, W.M. Christy & Sons had become a large business, with the heritage page describing 30,000 spindles, more than 700 looms and substantial terry-towel production at Fairfield Mill. The company’s early twentieth-century story included products and exhibitions beyond its original towel focus. Christy showed towels at the Melbourne exhibition in 1928, and its beach wraps were featured at the Toronto exhibition in 1929. These dated events are the later milestones confirmed by the supplied heritage excerpt; its account continues beyond the excerpt, so no further historical developments are asserted here. Christy’s present-day website reflects an expanded home-textiles assortment, including towels, bath products, bedding, robes, throws, cushions and loungewear. Product descriptions provide examples of its sourcing and materials: the Oslo Throw is described as 100% cotton and made in India, while the Cosy Robe is made in Turkey and combines cotton-polyester fabric, terry towelling and microvelour. Christy also says it has been the Official Towel of The Championships, Wimbledon since 1987. The supplied sources do not establish the current corporate owner, headquarters or listed status.

• 1987

  Wimbledon official towel

• 1929

  Toronto exhibition

• 1928

  Melbourne exhibition

• 1890

  Large-scale production by the 1890s

• 1851

  Industrial Turkish towelling and the Great Exhibition

• 1850

  Christy’s story begins

A British heritage home-textiles brand focused on luxury towels, bedding and home comforts, with craftsmanship and comfort emphasized in its product descriptions.

• Towels

  A core product category rooted in the brand’s Turkish towelling heritage.

• Oslo Throw

  A chunky-knit throw described as 100% cotton and made in India.

• Cosy Robe

  A robe with terry towelling inside and microvelour outside; its listed material is 48% cotton and 52% polyester, and it is made in Turkey.

• Duvet sets

  A prominent bedding category shown on Christy’s homepage.

1. 1Christy | Luxury Towels, Bedding & Home Comforts Since 1850christy.co.uk
2. 2Our Heritage – Christychristy.co.uk
3. 3Oslo Throw – Christychristy.co.uk
4. 4Cosy Robe | Christychristy.co.uk