The linen cupboard at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire. ©NTPL/Nadia Mackenzie
Selvedge, the textile magazine, is hosting an event entitled We Love Linen at historic Fenton House in Hampstead, London, on Tuesday 28 June.
The Laundry at Castle Ward, County Down. ©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel
Professor Amanda Vickery, historian and author of Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England (which was recently turned into the BBC series At Home with the Georgians) will speak about the role of household linens in Georgian England.
An eighteenth-century glass linen smoother, found in the ruins of West Mill, near Corfe Castle, Dorset. ©NTPL/Cristian Barnett
She will be followed by collector Elizabeth Baer, who will be showing a selection of antique linen, some of which will be available to purchase.
A goffering machine in the laundry at Castle Ward, County Down. This was a miniature mangle with ribbed surfaces to give linen a frilled finish. ©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel
Before the talks begin attendees will be able to enjoy a glass of wine with strawberries and cream and to explore the charming garden at Fenton House, weather permitting.
Detail of a linen damask napkin at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, woven with a ducal coronet and the Cavendish snake crest and embroidered with 'H' for Hardwick and the date 1827. ©NTPL/John Hammond
Tickets at £35 (concessions £30) can be booked via freephone +44 (0)208 341 9721 or via the event website.
