Black Cocktail Dress, 1950s
This 1950s black cocktail dress would have been all the rage in its day.
Fuller skirts became popular in the 1950s because of the end of rationing.
Women wanted less utilitarian fashion and Christian ...
Black Corselet, 1940s - 1950s
Corselets are a combination of bra and corset.
The corselet came about in around 1914 as women did not want to wear both a corset and a bra.
This is a later example from the 1940s or 1950s when they ...
Black Evening Bag, c.1920 -1930
This small bag is made out of black crepe fabric with a circular diamante clasp.
It has a short fabric handle and is a little worn from use along the top edge.
Black Paisley Shawl, c.1840-1880
This beautiful shawl is made out of black silk with a coloured paisley pattern covering the entire piece and a fringe trim.
Paisley shawls were in fashion for nearly 100 years from around 1780 to 1870s. ...
Black Straw Poke Bonnet, c.1850-1880
This example is made out of straw and is trimmed in lace and feathers.
A beautiful floral decoration on the left hand side breaks up the dark colouring and makes it less formal.
The cotton ribbon ...
Blast Furnace workers, Apedale, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Abraham Parker put the first furnace at Apedale into blast in 1789. The works passed through a number of owners until 1890 when the Midland Coal, Coke and Iron Company was formed and took the ironworks ...
Blockley's, 48 High Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Blockley's grocers and wine merchants was located at number 48 High street for many years and later became Hargreaves.
Blue and White Clasp Bag, c.1920-1970
This handbag is made out of small metal discs sewn on to a metal frame with a metal chain.
The bag is made entirely out of metal and was used as evening wear, as the bag is quite small.
We're not entirely ...
Blue Cotton Shawl, c.1850-1880
This shawl is made out of blue cotton with a red woven pattern around the edge and blue tassels.
Blue Girl Guides Cap, 1990s
The Girls Guides started as a side organisation from the Boy Scouts. Lord Robert Baden-Powell set up a camp for boys in 1907 at Brownsea Island in Dorset to test his scouting ideas.
By 1908 girls started ...
Blue Wedding Dress, 1920s
This wedding dress was worn by Lucy Harvey when she married Bill Hughes in the 1920s.
It demonstrates the flapper style of the ‘Roaring Twenties.’
It is shorter in length and would have been worn ...
Bodice with leg o'mutton sleeves, c.1895-1906
At the turn of the century people started to move away from the extravagance of the previous decades, as the crinoline and bustle died away. Instead people went with a more A-line silhouette and to make ...
Bone Belt
This belt is made out of bone from an unknown origin.
It forms part of our small 'ethnographic' collection and unfortunately know very little about it.
Bridesmaid's bonnet, 1940s
This is a child's bonnet that was worn for a wedding.
It has the style of a Victorian 'poke' bonnet.
It was worn by the donor Beryl Brindley (nee Hope) for her cousin Margaret's wedding.
The wedding ...
British Red Cross Beret, c.1940-1960
This is a lady's Red Cross Officers beret and was in use in the 1940s and 1950s.
Brittain's Foundry Workers, Chesterton
At this time Brittain's Hope Foundry stood in Dragon Square, Chesterton, and had done since 1870, but it has since been demolished.
Brown Fox Fur Stole c.1930 -1960
This would have been worn between the 1930 and 1950s.
This brown fox is complete with head, legs and tail as was fashionable at the time.
Brown Fur Cape, c.1920-1940
This cape was made in the 1920s or 1930s by the company Alexander Wilkie in Edinburgh.
The length and style of the cape indicates that it was used by a woman on formal occasions.