Fabrics of Protest

Watch any news program where a procession, demonstration or strike is taking place and you can’t miss the colourful site of trade union banners marching proudly at the front. This is particularly striking at events such as the Durham Miners Gala and Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival.

Unite South West has been working with the Shire Hall in Dorchester to curate an exhibition that brings together a selection of the region’s remarkable collection of banners for the public to see. 

The Fabrics of Protest: A Unite Southwest Banners Exhibition opened this November and runs through until next January and highlights how trade union banners have long held a vital place in the history of protest and collective identity.

Across the trade union movement, banners continue to serve not only as striking visual emblems but as powerful tools of solidarity and resistance, and are often handmade and richly decorated, carrying messages of pride, unity, and struggle linked to the areas and workplaces they represent. 

They are designed to be seen—hoisted high in marches, rallies, and picket lines—proclaiming the values and needs of working people to the world.

Virginia Smith is the Shire Hall Museum Director and has been working closely with Unite South West to bring a selection of the union’s regional banners to the public and has been researching the background of the banners on display to help visitors understand their importance.

Virginia said, “Through The Fabrics of Protest, visitors are invited to explore how banners have functioned both as art and as historical documents. Their colours, symbols, and slogans reveal shifting view points, evolving aesthetics, and a deep sense of shared purpose. 

“In preserving and presenting these banners, we honour the creativity, resilience, and collective spirit that have defined our nation —and continue to inspire action today.”

John Burbidge and Tony Gould from Unite’s Tolpuddle Branch visited the exhibition the week after it opened and were pleased to see some of the region’s agricultural banners displayed along with sectors such as printworkers and finance.

John said, “It is fantastic to see these banners on display at the Shire Hall, it’s a very colourful exhibition and you can see the work that goes into producing a trade union banner. It’s also great to see descriptions of the sectors and workers they represent.”

“The exhibition is on for a few more months and the branch is talking to the museum about adding a few more banners if possible as it’s such a great opportunity to link up and highlight local trade union history.”

John added that, like many museums up and down the country, the Shire Hall was struggling for funding and needed help from the public by visiting and supporting the work they do to bring local history alive for the community.

Virginia highlighted some of the forthcoming activities that will revolve around the exhibition including “banner making” workshops for children visiting the museum. These will be held in the exhibition space to inspire creative ideas and give young people a chance to think about why trade union banners are so important.

Fabrics of Protest: A Unite Southwest Banners Exhibition continues at the Shire Hall in Dorchester until January 23rd and is free with an entry ticket to the museum.

Some of the banners are pictured below, and to find out more about the exhibition go here.

By Keith Hatch