Dear All As Devon notes, things change! The one firm piece of advice that remains is always check with the museum just before visiting - apart from anything else, they may be happy to open especially for you, and also, if you have any particular interests, they may well get things out for you, whether a specialist lace museum or not. What follows is based on what I understand the position is at present. Bedford Museum and the Cecil Higgins Museum have been combined, and one of the casualties is the lace display - there isn't one, and individuals asking to see specified pieces of their marvellous collection have not managed.  If you do want to try, make contact first and a firm appointment, good luck, and let us know if you get anywhere with them. Luton has less out than it did, but an extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable curator in Victoria Main.  The collection on straw hats and the plait from which it was made (which was the local industry in Victorian times, rather than lace-making which was stronger elsewhere in the county) is better, and may well make the visit more worthwhile.  Again, do make contact if you want to visit, as if you have a particular interest, it may be possible to see things not ordinarily on show, though it is a relatively large concern, and cannot always cope with last minute requests. The Royal Albert in Exeter again is a disappointment, as described.  There is a showcase of Mrs Treadwin's samples and a superb fan elsewhere in the museum, but nothing else.  The officially trained staff will describe Devon trolly as a machine lace, while pointing to Mrs T's sample of handmade Devon trolley lace (not just to me - others had exactly the same experience).  My request for further information/viewings was referred to the marketing department.  Rougemont House is closed, and its lace and any other owned by the city museums is in storage/limbo. Honiton Museum's collection is one of the few that from a very high base is continually improving, with some superb wedding flounces of top quality, well displayed and with plenty to see.  They should be open now for the summer, but do check, if only to get a personal viewing of their treasures not currently on show, in the storeroom upstairs! Other local museums do have the odd bit of lace - Topsham and Sidmouth, I believe, but do check what's available when before visiting, and do be aware that their "treasures" may not be quite top-notch. The Lace Guild's collection, as those who subscribe to the artefact of the month e mail will know, includes a vast quantity of lace and related items of all qualities, form tip-top to pieces which are representative of typical products (hand and machine) if not worse.  While times the Hollies is open are given on the website, of course, the place is staffed during normal office hours, and except in very rare circumstances, you should be able to arrange a viewing, and have specific items brought out to see, at other times.  If that does not quite justify a trip to Stourbridge, there are the three glass museums there, well worth a visit - often joint exhibitions with the Lace Guild, next from 28-31 May, I believe, and that does justify a visit.  Other things in the area to do at other times are the Black Country museum.  Kidderminster, very close, has a carpet museum, and also by the station which connects to Stourbridge and London the old steam age station, with a working line, which offers excursions - the Midlands answer to the Orient Express! - and a fascinating signal box/railway offices/museum. Again, check anything closer to the time before travelling! Kind regards
[email protected], unwinding in rainy Stockport after a good time at the AGM, preparing for tomorrow in Manchester before returning down south On Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 7:32 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: >Â Dear Meghann, ... > As you can see, I am presently making inquiries, myself, about a trip to > the lace making region of Devon, England and Ireland. The list is very > helpful as one tries to negotiate the ever changing situation in visiting > lace. Lace seems to be the first thing a museum packs up and the last thing > they unpack whenever they move or renovate. ... > I am not at all sure that going to the Lace Guild in Stourbridge, East > Midlands, is a good use of time in England. According to my google maps, it > is over 2 hours from London by car, and I think it is quite modest when you > get there. I would imagine the Luton Museum and the Cecil Higgins Museum in > Bedford would be more worth the journey. Cecil Higgins has some > fantastic pieces of Thomas Lester Lace which was a mid-19th century bobbin > lace often depicting exotic animals from the London zoo. ... > Lace tourism is very tricky! > > Devon Thein - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
