Many of our visitors are not aware that Bailiffgate holds literally thousands more items than are on show at any one time. These will be used in specialist exhibitions from time to time, or are held because they constitute an important physical reminder of the history of Alnwick area and its people.
Items range across many different categories: photographs, kitchen and domestic items, toys of yesteryear, documents and posters, electrical items, sports items and sportswear to name but a few.
A treasured part of the archive collection is our clothing and costume section. It is also the subject of some very popular talks that the museum gives on invitation to outside bodies and clubs: Typical of these was a recent presentation to Bamburgh Women’s Institute:
The Institute kindly commented regarding our volunteer Hilary Waugh:
“On behalf of Bamburgh Women’s Institute I would like to thank Hilary for the wonderful presentation she gave to our members, guests and WI visitors from Northumberland. There was much laughter at her brilliant description of what was expected of ladies 100 years ago and the various fashion items she produced to describe it. The collection of dresses of the various Designers was stunning, and their names brought back memories of another era. It was such a fun afternoon and also I would like to thank Ginette too who assisted Hilary.”
If your organisation would be interested in a presentation on our clothing and costume archive, then please contact our museum office during office hours to discuss the details. (There will be a small charge to support the costs of the museum).
If you wish to learn more about our archives, then our other website www.bailiffgatecollections.co.uk is a great place to start. There are hundreds of examples of our archived photographs, documents and items on the site, along with many fascinating stories of Alnwick’s amazing people in the past.