Meet the dealers: Notty Hornblower | The Textile Society Antique and Vintage Textile Far (AVTF) Manchester
Notty has been part of the Textile Society Antique and Vintage Textile Fair in Manchester since it was first established in 1992.
She began accumulating her incredible collection of costume in her thirties, having had a fascination with history and clothes since a small girl. Notty found her first pieces at a local antique shop and she recalls how, ‘the first piece of costume I bought was an early Victorian white cotton night dress costing £15 in the late 1970s.’ From here, her collection grew, and after just three years Notty had assembled over a hundred costumes, not to mention a substantial amount of shoes and accessories
Not only a keen collection but an avid historian, Notty opened Hope House Museum in 1997 and is a custodian of beautiful costumes and everyday wear from the early 19th century onwards. The Museum hosts one of the most notable clothing collections in the country with every item meticulously recorded for posterity.
Samples of her collection include (Image 4 ) a selection of Ball gowns, a lemon taffeta dating from 1860, a pink grograin from the 1880’s and an early 1900’s Audi-nil brocade with pink chiffon trimmings. The venue is Renishaw Hall, in North Derbyshire 2013 where it was filmed for Country House Sunday with the late Linda Bellingham presenting the programme.
Her garments are also used for historical recreation and dramas, (Images 1 and 3) show the Paignton Railway Co, used for Murder on the Devonshire Express!! during the Agatha Christie Festival in September 2016. Notty and friends are dressed for dinner in original 1920’s beaded dress’s celebrating with a glass of Fizz!!
The final image (2) is of the hat Section of their very own Milliner’s Shop showing an original collection of hats from the 1920’s and 1930’s with the Shop assistant reading to ask
‘Are you being Served’
You can meet Notty and her girls at the Textile Society Antique and Vintage Textile Fair in Manchester where they are always beautifully dressed in period costume. She is always happy to advise and talk about peoples individual collections and values textiles at Hanson's Auctioneers.