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Costume: Current Exhibitions

Discover which treasures from our costume collection are currently on display...

View Past Costume Exhibitions

An Alphabet of Costume & Fabric
(April 2025 - 2026)

26 letters & 26 lovely things​

​It's as easy as ABC to explore the new costume case at Henfield Museum. All twenty-six letters of the alphabet can be matched with items as different as a waistcoat, an ostrich feather fan and a plaid doll's dress.
Starting with A for APRON and ending on Z for ZIP, there are some smart, stylish and utilitarian garments to see.
Working clothes like a maid’s afternoon apron, a FANY uniform from WWII and a milking overall share space with an elegant purple dress c. 1908 which was one of the garments collected by Miss Lucie Bishop of Henfield. Miss Bishop collected and displayed objects from the 1930s and without her efforts the costume collection would not be as complete as it is today.
Leather shoes in a rich shade of ox – blood provide the tricky  letter X and a quilted field bonnet came up trumps for Q.
Lace appears fashioned in a tiny baby’s cap and a modesty panel (or I for Insert) has been beautifully crocheted.
Gloves with fingers, mittens without and white kid ankle boots with silk rosettes all take their place.
And a magnificent example of the nimble fingers of Ethel Botting’s skill with a needle brings E for embroidery to life. Ethel was the youngest of five daughters and was born at Swains Farm on 25 March 1885.
​
To see the rest of our alphabet entries, come along to the museum….it all looks even better close up...

​Stephanie Richards
Curator of Costume
Picture

The Sussex Rifle Volunteers

On permanent display

The vivid Victorian uniforms pictured were all made in the 1860s by the long established Longley Brothers Drapers who were based at Bank House in Henfield High Street.

​On display are the uniforms of Surgeon Lieutenant (and well known Henfield doctor), Adolphus Caudle the Younger (1860s), in addition to that of Sergeant George Roberts (1868). With recruits having to fund their own uniform and rifle, joining the Volunteers was an aspiration beyond the average Henfield labourer and mainly open to professional men.

A Victorian precursor to the modern Territorials, the Rifle Volunteers were replaced by the Territorials during the army reforms that took place in the years after the Boer War. 

​A Selection of Pretty and Practical Objects

Discover the intricately made details of a miscellany of smaller items from the collection

Including a richly decorated mid Victorian ivory and silk fan, an intricate c. 1900 floral tapestry style handbag, early 20th century linen covered button cards, a 1920s Kirby, Beard & Co. needle case, a 1930s handkerchief sachet, a 1930s beaded tambour panel, and early 20th century cotton shift made as a sewing exercise. (But no cuddly toy!)
Picture

Return to the Costume homepage
Images on this page are licensed for educational and non commercial use under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) . Please credit 'Henfield Museum' and contact us if you would like to use an image for commercial purposes or at a higher quality.
​Website funded by the Friends of Henfield Museum, built & maintained by R. S. Gordon. Credit to Mike Ainscough for moving the website idea from discussion to reality.
© Henfield Museum. All rights reserved except where stated otherwise.
  • Home
    • Our Vision
    • The History of Henfield Museum
  • Collections
    • The Marjorie Baker Photo Collection >
      • Those Who Served
    • Costume
    • Our Art Collection
    • Wade Family Watercolours
    • Historic Photograph Collection
    • Audio Library
    • Maps & Aerial Photos
  • Exhibitions
  • Henfieldians Past
  • Blog
  • Heritage Projects
    • Henfield's Natural History >
      • Arborea
      • The William Borrer Transcription Project
    • Oral Histories
    • A Favourite Object
    • Henfield Heritage Trails
    • Local History Research
  • Friends of Henfield Museum
    • Join Form: The Friends of Henfield Museum
    • Friends: Acquisitions
    • Friends: Past Events
  • Henfield History Group
  • Key Resources
  • Education & Outreach
  • Gift Shop
  • Contact Us and Opening Times