Located in the center of High Street next to St. Paul’s Church, Allhallows Museum is housed in the town’s oldest building. It was constructed as a medieval chapel in the early 1300s and was later used as a school for more than five hundred years. In 1946, a group of dedicated residents turned it into a museum, and since that time, it has been run entirely by volunteers who aim to preserve heritage and promote the arts.
The Honiton lace flounce pictured above is attributed to Emma Radford. It measures 5.35 meters in length and 39 centimeters wide, and was used to decorate the skirt of a Victorian crinoline gown. Emma was born in Sidmouth, Devon, in 1837. Her mother and all four sisters made and sold lace, but it was Emma who became the best-known lacemaker, winning many awards for both the design and execution of her lace. In 1893, she was presented with an award from London for a beautiful lace fan.
A scarlet chiffon nightdress, capelet, and full-length cape appliquéd with Victorian Honiton lace flower sprays was once owned by Wallis Simpson. She was the twice-divorced American who scandalized Britain when King Edward abdicated the throne in December 1936 so that he could marry her.
During Queen Victoria’s reign, Mrs. Anne Fowler of Honiton (1839–1929) did a great deal to improve the quality of lace in both design and workmanship, and for decades, she held the Royal Warrant, an honor afforded to suppliers of goods or services to the royal family. Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851 and other showcases that followed also did much to promote the Honiton lace industry.
“The interest in Honiton lacemaking has increased greatly over recent years, and the fame of the museum is now international,” says Allhallows curator Margaret Lewis. “Some of the museum’s collection of lace is regularly loaned out for display at other venues and taken to exhibitions around the world. Our most distinguished visitor to the museum in recent years was Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in April 2005.”
Text Andrea Fanning
Photography Jane Hope
To read more about Honiton lace, see “Woven in Time” on page 93 of the September 2018 issue, available for purchase online.
