Serge the Lion

This design is a recreation of an emblem discovered on canvas in the Fox Brothers archive, described as ‘one of the most significant textile (company) archives in the British Isles’.

The canvas was once used by Fox Brothers to wrap goods for export in the 18th century. Each bale of ‘Long Ells’ (long lengths of serge cloth) was wrapped in a piece of ‘Serge’ canvas for export on ships from Topsham in Devon.

'Serge’, the lion depicted, was thought so fierce-some that pirates would steer clear of the ships with Fox’ wool that were bound for exotic shores.

Established in 1772, Fox Brothers is one of the UK’s oldest surviving woollen mills.