A visit to Luton Museum

We were slightly early so we had time to browse round the lace on display and the display drawers. These were all on the ground floor on the right of the entrance hall.

We were then welcomed by the Curator Veronica Mann who gave us a potted history of the start of Luton Museum and the Lace collection.

The Museum was started in the 1930 when a Mr Bagshaw, from Luton, was travelling around the county and realised that so much was changing and that we could be loosing much of our heritage.

He started collecting many items of interest and before long he met Miss Catherine Channer who was a great influence on him and interested him in lace makers. She also collected lace for the Museum.

In their collection, not only do they have a wide collection of bobbins, but they know to which lacemaker they belonged, and the villages they lived in. They have the lace they made, together with their prickings.

In the 1940's to 50's Anne Buck became an Assistant at the Luton Museum and was taught Lace making by Miss Channer. They have all Anne's notes that she made at the time. Anne Buck then became the curator of costume and textiles at the Platt Museum in Manchester. Here she was often offered items of Lace which she would suggest would be of more interest to the Luton Museum. So the collection grew with donations of British and European Lace until the collection rivalled that of the Victoria and Albert Museum and is now of international importance.

The Curator Veronica Mann has new and interesting plans for the lace collection. The main display cabinet will remain much the same. Two cabinets will change every three to four months.

In one, the lace will reflect the cultural diversity of Luton. At present they are mounting a display of Irish Lace (mainly Crochet). She hopes that future displays will involve Polish Lace and Indian Lace.

In the other Cabinet she would like displays of Lace made today, by lace groups in the area that the Luton Museum serves (i.e. East Anglia) so that she can show people that this is not a dead craft, but a living evolving one.

They also have a reserve collection that is being catalogued by volunteers, and if you would like to view this you can do so by appointment.

So for an interesting stimulating day out, do visit the Lace collection at the Walgrave Museum, Luton, Bedfordshire.

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