Links

This page contains links to various people and organisations who have interests in fields of study related to deliberately concealed garments. If you should like to contact them please mention that you found their details via this website.

If you would like to see your or your organisation's details here sumbit a link. If you see your organisation's website below and would like it removed please email links@concealedgarments.org. Similarly if you would like to change the information you see below please contact us.

The Textile Conservation Centre cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites.

Heritage organisations

Concealed objects

Abingdon Museum, Oxfordshire
http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/tourism/museum_guide.shtml
This webpage served by Abingdon-on-Thames Council's website gives information about the museum, and its collections. Abingdon Museum displays the Abingdon cache comprising a 17th century doublet, a mid-18th century lady's pocket and a mid-18th century baby's cap, coins, a trade token, and four document fragments (letters and IOUs). The cache was found in a hop filled cavity in the attic space of a house in Abingdon with the baby's cap, coins, token and fragments found inside the lady's pocket.

Boot and Shoe Collection, Central Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton
http://www.northampton.gov.uk/museums/ Click on 'Collections' and then 'Boot and Shoe'
This webpage describes Northampton's Boot and Shoe Collection as well as providing information about shoe-making and historic shoes. The Boot and Shoe Collection also maintains a comprehensive index of concealed shoes that numbers approximately 2000 instances. Some of these shoes are on display in Central Museum.

Cuckfield Museum, West Sussex
http://www.semuseums.org.uk/cuckfieldmuseum/
This webpage gives information about accessing the museum, its collections and its facilities. The Museum holds a late-18th century tricorn hat (on display) that was found concealed in a local house in Cuckfield in the 1980s.

Deliberately Concealed Garments Project
http://www.concealedgarments.org/
The project, based at the Textile Conservation Centre, has had the benefit of researching various concealed garments that have been or are in its care. Concealed garments currently at the TCC include half of the Cupar cache consisting of a late 19th/early 20th century black hat (the glove is housed with Fife Council Museums East, and the Nether Wallop cache comprising an 18th century whaleboned stomacher, velet waistcoat and dress patterns. Over the years the TCC has conserved other concealed garments including a medieval (14th century) hat now in Saffron Walden Museum, Essex, the Abingdon cache (doublet, pocket and a baby's cap) now in Abingdon Museum, Oxfordshire, and the early 17th century Reigate doublet now displayed in the shop of J.Stoneman and Sons.

Fife Council Museums East
museums.east@smtp5.fife.gov.uk
Museums East houses various concealed objects including children's shoes and a single leather glove. The glove is part of the Cupar cache and was made by a local maker. The other part of the Cupar cache is a folded hat which has since been donated to the Karen Finch Reference Collection at the Textile Conservation Centre for research.

Folk Magic in Dorset. An Inventory of Concealed Finds
http://www.folkmagic.co.uk/magic/dorset_folk_magic.htm
These web pages are served by Brian Hoggard's Folk Magic website (see above). The inventory of finds was composed by Jeremy Harte.

Hampshire County Council Museums Service
http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/hccms/museums1.html
HCCMS's website gives information about the Hampshire's museums and their collections, exhibitions and events. The Museum Service is based at Chilcomb House, Winchester where they house objects from a number of caches: the Havant, Stockbridge, Hursley and Ripley caches.

House Mouse
bpharber@aol.com
House Mouse is run by Paula and Barry Harber. They conduct one day courses for owners of timber-framed houses where you can learn about their care, repair and history, using traditional methods and products such as lime and clay. They use a cache (the Lawshall Cache) of concealed objects to illustrate their courses. A colour brochure is available on request.
Contact tel: 01284 830492 fax: 01284 830495

Galleries of Justice
*http://www.galleriesofjustice.org.uk/ *uses Flash/Shockwave
The Galleries of Justice's website comprises information about their learning activities, visitor services, and its collections of books and archives relating to law, crime and punishment. They recently mounted an exhibition called "Spellbound" during April-September 2001, which comprised various objects related to witchcraft and folk superstition including concealed objects borrowed from a number of sources. Objects included witch bottles, a pair of pattens from the Castle, Nottingham, 'chimney shoes' and concealed shoes from Northampton Museums and Art Gallery Boot and Shoe Collection.

Museum of London
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/
The museum's website comprises information about their collections, galleries, services and shop. The Museum of London houses a cache of objects under the title 'Builder's Sacrifice' in its Early Stuart gallery found at Lauderdale House in Highgate. The objects on display are dessicated chickens, a candlestick, a broken glass goblet and two plaited rush thongs.

Nottingham Museums
http://www.innotts.co.uk/greensmill/museums.html
This website describes the collections of various museums in Nottingham. The Castle, Nottingham holds a pair of concealed pattens (over-shoes) that were used in an exhibition called "Spellbound" at the Galleries of Justice, Nottingham in 2001. The patterns, 17th century (?), were found hidden in an oven chimney breast in a cottage kitchen in Basford.

Saffron Walden Museum, Essex
http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/saffire/places/swmus.html
The Museum's webpage gives information about the museum, its opening times and entry charges. The museum holds a late 14th/early 15th century brown felt hat, conserved at the Textile Conservation Centre in 1979, having first been discovered in the buttress of the tower of Little Sampsford church, Essex in 1908.

J. Stoneman and Sons Limited, Monumental Craftsmen, Reigate, Surrey
The Reigate cache (doublet and inkwell) found in the premises of J. Stoneman and Sons are now displayed there having previously been conserved by Sue Stanton, textile conservator. Office and showroom at 49 Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7AQ, UK.

Tullie House Museum, Carlisle
http://www.tulliehouse.co.uk/
Tullie House Museum's website provides details about the museum's collections, events, exhibitions and education services. The museum houses two concealed objects, a 19th century (?) child's clog and a pair of 19th century brogue shoes both purported to be found in the roofs of thatched cottages in North Cumbria.

Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/mwl/
The museum's website gives information about the museum, its collections, educational and other activities. The museum holds part of an 18th century (?) whaleboned corset found concealed in the wall of an 18th century thatched cottage in Pontarddulais near Swansea. The corset was discovered buried in earth near a chimney.

Textiles and costume

The Costume Society of Great Britain
http://www.costumesociety.org.uk/
The Costume Society is interested in widening access to costume history and contemporary dress. Their website contains details of their events, membership, awards, associated societies and their journal Costume with listings of recent articles.

The Textile Conservation Centre
http://www.textileconservationcentre.soton.ac.uk/
The TCC's website comprises information about the Centre, new developments, the conservation services it offers and information about courses and postgraduate degrees offered there. About the Textile Conservation Centre

Folklore

Folk Magic in Britain 1200-2002 Archaeology and History
http://www.apotropaios.co.uk/
This is Brian Hoggard's research and resources website on topics related to the archaeology and history of folk magic, ritual protection and witchcraft. It comprises information on types of concealed objects such as witch bottles, dried cats and shoes, as well as an extensive bibliography with reviews of many books on related subjects. You can also contact Brian from this site to report concealed object finds.

The Folklore Society
http://www.folklore-society.com/
The Folklore Society was founded in 1878 and dedicated to the research and study of traditional, lay culture. Their website comprises information about the society, its activities, events, research, members, resources and its journal Folklore.

Historic buildings

Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation
http://www.ihbc.org.uk/
The IHBC's website contains information about the organisation, membership, events, educational activities and a public forum discussion board.

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
http://www.spab.org.uk/
SPAB's website provides details about the organisation, information on events, weekend courses, publications and its other activities. SPAB is a pressure group dedicated to promoting the preservation of historic buildings and offer help and advice to those investigating, repairing and restoring ancient buildings.

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
http://www.wealddown.co.uk/
The Open Air Museum is based in West Sussex, UK and comprises a collection of historic buildings spanning 500 years. Some of the buildings contain evidence of ritual marks on the timbers. The museum also keeps livestock and maintains gardens on its 50 acre site. Their website contains information for visitors, about their collections, events and educational activities as well as a virtual tour of the complex.

www.buildingconservation.com
http://www.buildingconservation.com/
This website is maintained by Cathedral Communications Ltd. and forms an online resource for the conservation and restoriation of historic buildings and garden landscapes. It contains articles, information on courses, events and a contacts directory of companies, products and services related to building conservation.

Heritage organisations

24 Hour Museum
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/
The 24 Hour Museum is a national, online museum comprising a database of over 2500 museums, galleries and heritage organisations throughout the UK. The site features, news, information on exhibitions and themed internet trails. Use this site to find out about your local museums.

Wessex Film and Sound Archive
http://www.hants.gov.uk/record-office/film.html
The Wessex Film and Sound Archive hold over 15,000 items including professional film and newsreel, oral history recordings and local radio tapes. The Deliberately Concealed Garments Project has submitted recordings of two interviews to the archive.

Heritage Gateway
http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk
English Heritage is working in collaboration with ALGAO and IHBC in a five year project to build a Heritage Gateway to England's local and national historic environment records. A key objective is to develop the flexibility to provide integrated access to local and national heritage information resources as part of the programme of reforms proposed by Government 'Heritage Protection for the 21st Century'

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Last updated: 13 August, 2002