The Lacemakers group meets every Wednesday from 12.30pm – 3.30pm.
Come and learn about handmade lace and create modern artisan pieces using techniques developed over the last 500 years.
The creation of lace was a true cottage industry, employing women and girls as young as five, across all of Europe in the 16th Century. In England, lace was used to decorate the clothing of royalty and the fashionistas of the day. The excessive sums of money spent on extravagant laces prompted many rulers to place restrictions on the wearing and importing of lace from other countries. Laws, however, proved futile and the smuggling of foreign lace was widespread.