Decorative Arts
Costume and textiles:
A regionally important collection, the costume and textiles date from the 15th century
to the present day. Particular strengths of the collection include:
Bagot Collection of clothes, accessories and jewellery worn by Lord and Lady Bagot
dating from the 1940s to the 1970s and including Bagot family ceremonial and court
dress from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
Rawlence Collection of European textiles and lace dating from the 16th to the 18th
centuries
Dolls from the Young Collection:
Encompassing early to mid 20th century costume dolls from around the world.
New Victoria Theatre Collection of mainly female dress dating from the late 19th to the
1960s
Documentary evidence - photographs, dressmaking and knitting patterns brochures and
advertising material and other ephemera connected with costumes and textiles
Furniture:
Select in number but wide-ranging, previously acquired from past collections
such as the Arnold Bennett Museum. Some pieces are complementary to the history of
Ford Green Hall.
Glass and metalware:
The glass holdings comprise a small representative collection of mainly English glassware
dating from the 18th century to the present day. The metalware is mainly of local
significance but also includes the Keiller collection of silver cow creamers linked to the
collection of ceramic cow creamers.
Far Eastern Collection:
Mainly given to the City via the W D Wilkins Bequest. It consists of around 100 items
of jade and ivory and a selection of nineteenth century Japanese woodcuts.
