Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection An internationally renowned collection of textiles located in the heart of Pennine Lancashire

One of the finest collections of lace, embroidery and textiles in Europe, Gawthorpe Textiles Collection is comprised of over 30,000 items from all over the world. The Collection was founded by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth (1886-1967) as a teaching resource to revive traditional craft skills. Now an Accredited museum, the Collection is displayed across five galleries at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham, Lancashire.

✨ Journey back to 18th century India with this exquisite hand block-printed skirt ✨📅 c.1780-1800 | Made in IndiaThis stu...
31/05/2026

✨ Journey back to 18th century India with this exquisite hand block-printed skirt ✨

📅 c.1780-1800 | Made in India

This stunning petticoat showcases the incredible artistry of Indian textile makers Hand block-printed florals dance across smooth cotton calico, featuring recognisable carnations alongside stylised blooms in mauve, blue, and pink 🌸💜💙

The magic? Just madder and indigo dyes, layered with expert precision to create multiple colour tones. The level of skill required was so extraordinary that European manufacturers spent decades trying to replicate it!

Clever design details: open side seams for size adjustments and pocket access, plus tie fastenings at the waist

From the early 1600s, Indian chintz became so wildly popular in Europe that demand was overwhelming. These hand-crafted textiles represented the pinnacle of dyeing and printing expertise ✨

Length: 91cm | Hem circumference: 307cm

📸 Photos Copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

28/05/2026

Interested in fashion and sustainability? Join us for the Re: Fashion Challenge 2026 this August!

Work with fashion design mentors to create repurposed and up-cycled outfits, style your looks in a professional photoshoot and maybe win a prize for the best design. No previous textiles or sewing experience necessary - we will teach you basic sewing and pattern cutting skills!

This is a FREE creative week-long workshop and competition for young people aged 13 to 18 years.

🗓️ Taking place from Monday 3rd - Friday 7th August from 10am - 3pm

📍at Gawthorpe Textiles Collection,
Suite 26, Unit 2, Northlight House,
Pendle Road, Brierfield, BB9 5FL

Places are limited, please email [email protected] to sign up or find out more 📧

New greeting cards just landed! 🧵✨Calling all patchwork lovers and quilting enthusiasts – we've added two beautiful new ...
27/05/2026

New greeting cards just landed! 🧵✨

Calling all patchwork lovers and quilting enthusiasts – we've added two beautiful new cards to the shop, plus a reminder of two favourites from our current collection. Each one features stunning details from our historic textiles.

What's new:

🟪 Silk Crazy Patchwork (1885) – made by Florence Jones when she was just 17 years old – absolutely gorgeous!

🟥 Wool & Velvet Log Cabin – rich textures with delicate embroidered flowers at the centre of each block

From our current selection:

🟨 Cotton Log Cabin Patchwork (c.1860-1890) – a detail from an unfinished panel showcasing classic log cabin piecing

🟦 Grace Slater's Patchwork Quilt (1840) – intricate hexagons, Dresden Plate and windmill motifs in a kaleidoscope of printed cottons

Each card is £2.50, left blank inside for your own message, and comes with an envelope.

Perfect for birthdays, thank yous, or just sending a little textile love to your stitching friends 💌

Shop now - head to our website shop Gawthorpe Textiles Collection
https://www.gawthorpetextiles.co.uk/cards



Photos © copyright of Gawthorpe Textile Collection

Ayrshire Whitework: Delicate Threads of Scottish Heritage ✨These exquisite pieces showcase the remarkable artistry of Ay...
25/05/2026

Ayrshire Whitework: Delicate Threads of Scottish Heritage ✨

These exquisite pieces showcase the remarkable artistry of Ayrshire whitework — a fine white-on-white embroidery tradition that flourished in southwest Scotland during the early 19th century.

Born from the muslin industry in Ayr in the late 1780s, this intricate needlework combined drawn fabric stitches with delicate floral sprigs, satin stitch motifs, and needlepoint lace fillings to create an effect as beautiful as lace itself. By the 1830s, it had become a thriving cottage industry, employing thousands of skilled women who worked from home, creating christening gowns, collars, handkerchiefs, and dress materials.

Each stitch tells a story of patience, precision, and the extraordinary skill of these embroiderers who transformed simple cotton into wearable art. Though machine embroidery eventually replaced this handwork, these surviving pieces remind us of a time when every thread was placed with care and intention.

Swipe to see the incredible detail in these 19th-century collar and handkerchief corners from our collection. 🧵

Image 1: Detail of an Ayrshire whitework collar
Fine cotton, cotton thread
19th century

Image 2: Detail of the corner of an Ayrshire whitework handkerchief
Cotton, cotton thread
Early 19th century

Images 3 & 4: Detail of the corner of an Ayrshire whitework handkerchief
Cotton, cotton thread
Early 19th century

Photos © copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

We're delighted to share this wonderful display at Towneley Hall Museum and Art Gallery!Our Sew Social group has been bu...
25/05/2026

We're delighted to share this wonderful display at Towneley Hall Museum and Art Gallery!

Our Sew Social group has been busy creating and decorating these beautiful shoes, now displayed alongside historic pieces from the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection. It's a perfect example of how we bring historic textiles and contemporary making together.

Sew Social meets every Thursday morning at Towneley as part of our AIM Connected Communities project, funded by Arts Council England. If you're visiting soon, don't miss the shoe display in the Art Gallery - and keep an eye out for the fabulous footwear in the paintings too!

In this hot weather, we at Gawthorpe Textiles are big fans of a fan – though we're sad we can't actually use this one! ☀...
23/05/2026

In this hot weather, we at Gawthorpe Textiles are big fans of a fan – though we're sad we can't actually use this one! ☀️🌡️

Meet the Conundrum Fan from 1791, made by William Werndly, fan maker to His Majesty. Crafted from vellum with simple bone sticks, this beauty is covered in illustrations, riddles, letters, words and phrases that would have kept its owner and friends entertained for hours.

These puzzle fans were all the rage in the late 18th century – the perfect combination of staying cool and staying amused. We think they were onto something!



Photos © copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

Tiny treasures from the past ✨These exquisite knitted beadwork purses (c.1800-1850) showcase the incredible skill of ear...
21/05/2026

Tiny treasures from the past ✨
These exquisite knitted beadwork purses (c.1800-1850) showcase the incredible skill of early 19th-century makers. Each glass bead was individually threaded onto linen thread before being knitted in the round—imagine the patience and precision required! 🧵

During the Georgian and Regency eras, lightweight muslin dresses had no pockets, so ladies carried these delicate reticules for coins and small essentials. The glass beads were imported from Italy and Bohemia, and the densely beaded surfaces required extremely fine needles to create.

These aren't just accessories—they're wearable art and a window into women's lives two centuries ago.

Photos © copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

19/05/2026

✨ 1812 Time Capsule: A Bedspread That Tells Stories ✨

Behind the scenes magic! 🎬 Watch as Rachel, our Curator, carefully unveils this stunning 1812 lined pieced appliqué bedspread for a recent study group.

Why is it so special? This bedspread is like a textile encyclopedia, showcasing multiple techniques in one gorgeous piece:
🧵 Appliqué work - fabric shapes stitched onto the base
🔷 Paper piecing - those perfect hexagons you see
🦋 Embroidered details - including adorable butterflies with antennae worked in wool or silk!

The whole design is decorated with stripes and pattern units, bordered in beautifully gaily printed cottons that still pop with colour after 200+ years!

Originally donated by Miss I. Grimshaw from Accrington, this treasure shows us how makers in 1812 combined precision piecing with playful creativity. Each stitch tells a story of patience, skill, and artistry.

#1812

Photos © Copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

Cotton Chintz ClothWe're closing out our India textile week with this mid-19th century printed cotton chintz cloth – po...
17/05/2026

Cotton Chintz Cloth

We're closing out our India textile week with this mid-19th century printed cotton chintz cloth – possibly a table covering that's never been washed, still showing its original glazed finish! ✨

Notice those intricate 'Paisley' moteh patterns around the edge? They originated in Persian design and became beloved in Kashmiri shawls. The English name 'Paisley' actually comes from the Scottish town where these patterns were copied industrially.

This piece showcases the incredible craftsmanship of Indian textile makers – block printed with hand-painted details, backed with what may be roller-printed fabric, and finished with bias-cut striped binding. Each element tells a story of technique and artistry.

These cloths decorated homes as mats, table coverings or wall hangings, and were highly sought after across Britain, France and the Netherlands during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Fine wool Kashmir shawl✨Continuing our focus this week on textiles from India held in our Collection at Gawthorpe Textil...
15/05/2026

Fine wool Kashmir shawl
✨Continuing our focus this week on textiles from India held in our Collection at Gawthorpe Textiles Collection ✨

Finely woven Kashmir wool shawls from India became status symbols in Europe in the 18th century and were considered the height of fashion up until the 1870s. As highly desirable commodities, factory-owners in Europe were quick to capitalise on their appeal, employing new industrial machine weaving methods to maximise profits. Towns such as Norwich, Edinburgh and Paisley became known for their mechanised shawl-making. Due to the widespread popularity of the shawls manufactured in Paisley, the term became synonymous with the teardrop shape motif known as the boteh or buta in India, which likely evolved from an earlier Persian rendering of a pinecone.

This beautifully woven shawl was probably made in the Kashmir region of India and can be dated to the later stages of the shawl's popularity due to the colour scheme, elongated boteh motif and very large size – which would have allowed it to be worn over the extremely full skirted gowns of the 1850s and 1860s.

📍 India
📅 c.1850-1880
📏 H 355cm x W 173cm
📸Photos ©copyright of Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

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Northlight Estates
Brierfield
BB95EG

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+441282773963

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