A Costume Display to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
This case brimming with memories and memorabilia from royal jubilees past pays our tribute to the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A Victorian ensemble in shades of brown and green topped with a dashing red bonnet (all drawn from different decades of Queen Victoria’s long reign) mark Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee. A stylish black lace dress, purple stockings, purple kid gauntlets and silver brocade shoes remind us of the 1935 Silver Jubilee of George V. Our Queen's Coronation in 1953 starts us off on a souvenir filled trip through her jubilees of 1977 (Silver), 2002 (Gold) and 2012 (Diamond). Clothing from the different decades of the Queen’s reign surrounds the photographs, thanksgiving prayers, souvenir programmes and other reminders of the celebrations that were held for these events both in Henfield and elsewhere. Stephanie Richards Curator of Costume |
A commemoration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day
A mixture of uniforms from the WVS and the FANYS (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry), two items of Land Girl clothing, a fine wool day dress, a ‘parachute silk’ blouse, a WW2 Red Cross apron and some very roomy cotton bloomers. Ration books and identity cards helped to set the scene. Local photographs add to the sense of history, as there are several views of Henfield High Street taken on VE Day itself, 8th May 1945. A splendid photograph captures nurses and the Women’s Land Army marching up the High Street on this day. I wonder if the Land Army uniform in the case was being worn in the picture? Typically for our wonderful museum collection, I have been able to include a copy of the Parish magazine from June 1945 detailing the VE Day celebrations in Henfield. This is the essence of Henfield Museum. The clothes, the photographs and the community records were all there to be enjoyed by us 75 years later. Stephanie Richards Curator of Costume |