So part of my plans for a fresh start on this blog this year has been to post more about the various exhibitions I have gone to or are going to go to.  I have over the past few years been to a couple of exhibitions that I want to talk about but I should really start with one of my biggest adventures in the land of historical sewing: Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire.

I have wanted to visit Blists Hill since I first watched Victorian Farm about 7 years ago, Finally last September mum and I went off for a few days down to Shropshire and I got to run around like the mad little geek I am.

Blists Hill is basically a living history exhibition on a massive scale. It’s run by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and is a specially created town set within the late Victorian Era roughly during the 1890s. It has a fully functioning forge, bank, bakery, general store and post office. It also has a haberdashery shop in which I spent a bit too much time drooling over the gorgeous ribbons and fabrics. Everyone working there is dressed in period costume and uses period appropriate tools etc. They have a doctor’s surgery and house set up as it would and even a squatter’s cottage and garden complete with chickens.

Really I could go on and on about why this place is so awesome but I should probably get on the photos (since I took nearly 1000) 😀 They are pretty self-explanatory so I’ll just let you enjoy the visual goodness!
So this post is going to be ridiculously photo heavy, you have been warned!  I did have fun editing a few of them to look old and vintage-y. So a few are very sepia or black and white!

Here we go!

So many things to buy and so little cash left!

 

A locked cabinet of naughty things for women… including a universal douche for birth control!

Can you spot the nipple shield for breast feed? (Horrifyingly it’s made of lead!)

The Rag Man plying his trade.

It was indeed such a horrendous matter and a miserable and ghastly scene!

Can’t beat a nice bit of woollen underwear!

Looks like the Rag Man found a buyer!

Time for School!

And off we go to the squatters cottage…

Complete with iron bathtub and faggots for the fire 🙂

And I’ve saved the best for last! The Drapers!

Such pretty colours!

I actually had that mad look of extreme happiness on my face all damn day.

I left feeling so inspired for various new costumes and accessories but also for projects and possible directions for my shop and business (living for a week as a Victorian being one of them). Someday I would really like to go back and have a chance to explore their costume store and a few of the other museum sites owned by the trust, also to just wander around a bit more and pretend I’ve gone back in time!

Hope you have enjoyed this post, I know it’s not much of a write up but lots of pretty pictures! 😀

While I shall still be doing Good Mood Mondays I also have other plans so some exhibition posts to come include a discussion on the exhibition “How Glasgow Flourished” (from way back in 2014!!) and “A Century of Style 1800-1899” which was just last week.

But until then,

See you in the future ♥