Events and Exhibitions
Our displays are open to the public on Wednesdays only, 10am-4pm.
For group bookings throughout the week, please phone 01376 557741.
HERITAGE SILKS
13th July 2011 – 25th April 2012
A selection of the exquisite hand-woven silks and velvets produced by Warner & Sons for some of the best known historic houses, castles and cathedrals in England.
Festival of Britain Display
14th September 2011 – 25th April 2012 (cabinet display)
Warner & Sons wove and printed many of the fabrics for the Festival of Britain in 1951, and were proud to be chosen to design and produce the fabrics for the Regatta restaurant next to the Royal Festival Hall. 60 years on, this temporary display celebrates the company’s role in that vibrant cultural event.
TALKS ON TUESDAYS
A series of informal illustrated talks, usually on the first Tuesday of each month. Admission will be £5 (including tea or coffee), and each talk will take place between 6:30pm and 7:30pm (doors open at 6:15pm) on the following dates:
1st May – Crittalls in Braintree (Robert Rose)
12th June – Brick Making and the Use of Brick in the Buildings of East Anglia from the Middle Ages (David Andrews)
4th September – The Crittalls and Silver End (Natalie Banks)
2nd October – English Country Furniture (Mark Barrett)
Please call 01376 557741 to reserve your place.
STUDY SESSIONS
AFTERNOON: The Festival of Britain and Warner & Sons in the 1950s (Charlotte Harding)
Thursday 19th April – 2:00 -3:30pm £6.00
Including a look at some original designs in the Archive store.
ALL DAY: Caring for Costume and Textiles (Danielle Sprecher)
Saturday 8th September – 10.30am – 3.00pm £25.00
A session on costume history with advice, tips and a look at some of the Archive’s own costume collection.
Please call 01376 557741 to reserve your place.
WORKSHOPS
Thursday 17th May – Beading Day (Daisy Beaders)
A workshop to make a spiral necklace. Suitable for absolute beginners and more advanced skill levels.
10:00am – 3:00pm £25.00
Tuesday 24th July – Starting out in Crochet (Yoland Clark)
A crochet session for beginners or those needing a comprehensive refresher course. Visitors should bring a metal crochet hook (size 4.5), pen and paper, darning needle and scissors.
10:00am – 2:30pm £25.00
Thursday 23rd August – Buttoned Up (Ann Share)
Come and make a button necklace or other jewellery with buttons and beads. Visitors should bring at least 50 buttons with 2 or 4 eyelets.
10:00am – 2:30pm £25.00
Friday 19th October – Try Your Hand at Wood Carving (Peter Benson)
Suitable for all, with the expectation of a finished piece at the end of the day!
10:00am – 3:30pm £25.00
Please call 01376 557741 to reserve your place.
CELEBRATION! Designs by Warner & Sons for Coronations and other Royal Events
At the Archive from 6th June 2012 – open Wednesdays 10am-4pm (group bookings welcome at other times)
This exhibition at the Warner Textile Archive has been specially assembled to shed light on the Warner company’s prestigious role as supplier of fabrics for coronations and other royal events throughout the twentieth century.
As the nation prepares to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Celebration exhibition takes the 1953 coronation as its primary focus, showcasing the regal velvets, silks and cloth of gold produced by Warner & Sons for that grand occasion. The exhibition will also highlight Warner fabrics used for other royal occasions, including a sample of a silk damask woven by Warner & Sons in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.