A dress designed to welcome in the 20th Century has gone on display for a month at a country house.
The Cockleshell Dress was worn by Mary Vere Agar-Robartes, the eldest daughter of Thomas Charles Reginald Agar-Robartes and Mary Dickinson, who lived at Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, Cornwall, from 1879 to 1946.
The dress – made from cream silk and decorated with a shell pattern, gold-thread detailing and a commemorative sash bearing the date 1900 – was restored by the National Trust’s textiles conservators.
Nicola Heald, from the trust, said the dress would only be exhibited between 28 August to 27 September “because the fabric is so sensitive to light” and the display was a “rare chance” to see it.
Heald, the collections and house manager, said: “It’s a real treat to be able to put the Cockleshell Dress on display.
“Because the fabric is so sensitive to light, opportunities to see it are very limited, so this month-long display gives visitors a rare chance to appreciate the detail and craftsmanship of the dress up close.”
She said the design of the dress was thought to have been inspired by the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary due to its reference to “silver bells and cockle shells”.
“This wasn’t simply a beautiful dress, it was something Mary wore to celebrate the arrival of a new century, and it helps bring that moment in the family’s story to life,” she said.
Credit: BBC
