For this weeks object highlight we go back to asking our volunteers for their five favourite objects from our collection. Joan, one of our front of house volunteers has chosen these five as her highlight objects:
1. The Spinning Jenny. There are supposedly only as few as five left in world. This wonderful machine brings back memories of learning all about the industrial in my school days but we never really knew what one looked like. (The Spinning Jenny is a multi-spindle spinning frame, and was one of the key developments in the industrialisation of textile manufacturing during the early Industrial Revolution)
2. The Fulling Hammer. When I first saw it I thought it must be some kind of a weapon of war. It is an impressive exhibit with an interesting history and function. (Fulling, is a step in woollen cloth making which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and to make it thicker – the hammer was used to beat the cloth to cleanse it)
3. Stancombe Wedding Dress. What a beautiful dress! It was made with such lovely material, a beautiful cut and exquisite details but that waist size! It makes me cringe to think how tiny she must have been.
4. McCall’s Mill fabric child’s pinafore dress. I love it mostly because I had one identical and it brings back childhood memories.
5. Toys and Games Drawer I like the fact that children can handle these instead of just looking.
