Museum - Blandford Fashion Museum in Blandford Forum

The Fashion Museum is pleased to confirm that, following the government announcements of this week, it will re-open on Saturday 5th December. The Museum will be open on 5th; 7th; 8th; 10th and 12th December 10.00 am - 4.00 pm (last entry 3.30 pm) We look forward to welcoming our Friends and visitors back through the door.

We are very excited! Thanks to grants from Dorset Leisure Fund and our especial friends at The Pilgrim Trust the Museum can begin the refurbishment of the exterior of our home, Lime Tree House. Working with our project managers, Jestyn Coke Surveyors of Blandford, the project planning is just about to begin. You can see from these photos that the work is well overdue. We are hoping to finish it all by the time of our 25th anniversary in May 2021. Watch this space for updates... on the work as we undertake the project. Wish us luck! See more

It is with great regret that Blandford Fashion Museum will close again from end of the day today (Monday 2nd November) in line with Government guidance. We sincerely hope to re-open early December Keep safe everyone

The Museum was absolutely delighted to be invited by Sir William Hanham of Deans Court in Wimborne to come and take a look at some costumes and accessories found tucked away in Deans Court’s cupboards and wardrobes to see if we would like anything for the Museum’s collection. Stella, our curator, and Kathryn, our Administrator, spent a fascinating few hours looking at all the costumes whilst hearing stories of the Hanham family history from Sir William. Hopefully some of these wonderful artefacts (and stories) will become part of our collection and be displayed at the museum in the future. Can you spot the 1920’s Arctic explorers woollen felt balaclava?

The Museum’s Costume and Display team had an unusual task to focus on this month. Our large chest freezer (where we store all our furs) broke down. The team had to take urgent stock of the furs, closely inspect each one and then re-pack them in a new freezer. The furs are stored in a freezer to protect them from bugs etc, don’t worry this is a well tried and tested Museum standard method for storing furs!

Here's a teaser for a Sunday afternoon, what do you think this garment is? A lady from Devon kindly donated it to the Museum this week and our Costume and Display team were very excited to receive it as its an unusual, not to mention rare example of this type of garment. The first correct answer wins a cup of tea and a piece of cake in our traditional tea room!

If you were interested in our previous post about the approach to us from the National Museum of Australia regarding an 18 c dress, you may find this article on their website of interest. What a fascinating story of the Springfield Faithfull family https://pateblog.nma.gov.au//an-excessively-diverting-col/

A short while ago the Museum was contacted by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra regarding a 1740s dress we hold in our collection, which came from the original Cavalcade of Costume. Why was the NMA interested? Well they have a 18th c dress constructed from very similar silk to ours. It has a fabulous story having been made and worn by women from Devon; taken to Australia in the 1830s by a teacher who married a pastoralist; taken to a merino sheep station outside ...Goulburn NSW; cherished by a prominent colonial family and worn again in the 1920s by a descendant of the original owner to a fundraising ball in Sydney. In 2005 it was donated to the NMA and is one of their oldest dresses. Having undertaken research on the construction and provenance of their dress fabric it is much like our dress - and is characteristic of the silk designs created by Spitalfields designer Anna Maria-Garthwaite. NMA's curator wanted to know more about our costume believing the material could be from Garthwaite too. Stella, our Curator, was happy to confirm that, although we dont know much about the dress, our conservator had a very strong belief that it is of Huguenot Spitalfields silk, and the designer was probably Anna Maria-Garthwaite The first three photos are of our dress, the final two photos are the Australian dress. Can you tell the difference? Our dress, one of our earliest, is on display currently in our Creating the Shape exhibition

Hello everyone - just to let you know the Fashion Museum won’t be open on Bank Holiday Monday 31st August), but we will be ready to welcome you back on the following Saturday

Commemorating both VE and VJ Days the Fashion Museum’s wartime exhibitions include an original Women’s Land Army Costume display. The Women’s Land Army was formed in 1937 and therefore ready to start work when war was declared in 1939. Many girls joined thinking it would be nice to work outdoors in the fresh air. Some joined as, unlike the Forces, a husband or father’s permission was not required to join the WLA. The job of course, was anything but easy. The Land Girls’ tas...ks were varied and included such delights as rat catching; hedging, muck spreading and hand milking, all for 28 shillings a week (increased to 48 shillings in 1945) As part of our wartime exhibitions we would love to hear any stories from your own families and friends about their experiences during wartime, particularly any school-age memories. Our younger visitors have lots of questions about this period of our history and we’d love to share some real life experiences and stories with them. Send them to our email address [email protected] or why not pop in and talk to one of the volunteers. See more

If you haven’t yet visited the Museum to see our Land Girl and Women's Legion display then here's a taster This Women’s Legion uniform was owned and worn by Sybil Davis who donated it to the Museum. Sybil was a member of the Corp during the Second World War. As well as being a driver she also qualified as an ARP Instructor. The Women’s Legion was founded in 1915, one of their initial tasks being to assist with the demobilised troops after WWI Armistice As the Women’s Legion... was a voluntary organisation it tended to attract mainly middle-class ladies, not least because recruits needed to be able to drive; pay a subscription of 10 shillings and sixpence and had to purchase their own uniforms although they were awarded extra coupons to do so! As part of our wartime exhibition we would love to hear any stories from your own families and friends about their experiences during wartime, particularly any school-age memories. Our younger visitors have a hundred and one questions about this period of our history and we’d love to share some real life experiences and stories with them. See more

On Saturday 15th August the Fashion Museum will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan) which also signified the end of the Second World War. Come and see our topical Make Do and Mend and Land Girl & Women's Legion displays.

We have some lovely green silk pattens in the museum which also date from the eighteenth century - they are one of the earliest objects in our collections.

Because of the changes we have made at the Museum to keep everyone safe, the costume team have relocated to the lecture room. Therefore when you enter and start your tour of the museum on the first floor now you are also able to get a sneak preview of the work that usually goes on behind the scenes where the team assess and catalogue the costume in our care.

We are excited to announce that we are re-opening on Monday 6th July!! Initially this will be on Mondays and Saturdays only from 10-4pm - please have a look at the guidelines below, which were formulated following government guidance to help keep our staff and visitors as safe as possible. We look forward to welcoming you back! Guidance for Visiting the Museum after its re-opening We have made some changes to keep our visitors and volunteers safe, following Government advice ...and guidance. - We have a separate entrance and exit to the Museum and tea shop to maintain social distancing (please enter through the tea room door). - A one way system is in operation around the Museum - Hand sanitisers and gloves are available for your visit - We are offering a cashless method of payment - Our tea shop tables have been reduced in number and now spaced two metres apart, and we are offering table service only with a reduced menu - We are encouraging the use of masks for both visitors and staff if possible. Please think of others, as much as we'd like you to visit us, if you feel unwell stay at home.

In readiness for our re-opening we are looking for a new tea room/shop manager volunteer. If you are interested, or know anyone who may be interested, in joining our friendly team of volunteers and would like to know more please contact us via our email address [email protected] or pm us through Facebook.

The Museum's garden seems to be pulling out all the stops this lockdown year, our stunning hollyhocks are in full bloom and worth making a detour for - if you are in Blandford