Discover some of our costume exhibitions from the recent past...
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Biodiversity Through the Lens of Costume, March 2024 - March 2025
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Based around the Henfield Parish Council Biodiversity theme for 2024 The case had examples of artefacts and costume drawn from and inspired by, nature. Silk, cotton, linen, leather, bone, mother of pearl and feathers (and more) all featured, most pieces being of 19th century date. Stephanie Richards Curator of Costume |
Arcadian flavoured embroidery featured in the Biodiversity display
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Biodiversity Through the Lens of Costume, 2024-25
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A preview of the Biodiversity display at the Village Evening, March 2024
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New Donations with Vintage Style, March 2023 - March 2024
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Costume from the 1920s, 1940s and 1960s.
The case contained a collection of recent donations to the museum costume stock. Exhibits ranged from a graceful evening gown to a sturdy woollen overcoat with a long story and two trips across the Atlantic in its history. The 1920s were represented firstly by a blush pink silk chiffon beaded cocktail dress. The silk is badly shattered, but the beads still sparkle. And in complete contrast a barathea (worsted wool) overcoat that started life as a mans coat in 1928 and was later altered and worn by the daughter of the original owner in Canada until 2022. Likewise the 1940s boasted two items in the display. There was a cyclamen pink wedding dress and veil from 1940 and a babies dress, complete with CC41 utility label, that was used as a christening dress by two sisters. The 1960s white Grecian style draped evening gown has diamenté embellishments at the bodice and on the hip. This gown came from Barrance & Ford, a long gone dress shop in Brighton. To accompany the clothes we had a wonderful display of photographs of the owners and wearers of the majority of the items. So you saw what the wedding dress, coat and babies dress all looked like on the owners. All of these items enrich the Henfield Costume collection and help to illustrate what people wore to keep warm, get married, get christened and go out for the evening in the 20th century. Stephanie Richards Curator of Costume 
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Costume and Commemoration - Royal Jubilees Remembered, March 2022 - Jan 2023
Marking the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
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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 |
What We Wore in the War, 2020 - 2022
An exhibition of wartime clothing marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day
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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 |
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Monochome, 2019
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Frock Tales, February 2017
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The Ladies Emporium, 2017
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Friends of Henfield Museum Talk, November 2015
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Wedding Dresses, 2015
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Victorian & Edwardian Fashion, 2014
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