Author: Louise Marshall

Didn’t we have a lovely time, the day we went Edwardian? As the old song goes – and all for under a pound, you know.

The fun and friendly Heritage Open Day, hosted by the Friends and staff of Haworth Art Gallery, was a huge success, thanks largely to the 500 visitors who turned out to enjoy an afternoon of Edwardian-era fun .

Some splendid period entertainment, including games, crafts and educational activities helped bring to life the beautiful old arts and crafts house and surroundings in ways its first owners the Haworths would surely have recognised.

From piles of period costumes for dressing up and snapping selfies, to great games and toys of the times, such as bagatelle and table skittles, there were free activities for old and young – and everyone in between – including giant bubble-blowing and wild welly-wanging. Wow!

And from demonstrations of the needlecrafts that were typical of the era, to making your own crafty creations – or learning how to handle some of the Haworth’s huge collection of artefacts – most of the day’s activities were absolutely free.

The hope was to provide an event where everyone would feel welcome, and we were delighted to be joined by people from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities to join in the fun.

 

 

Also free were fascinating talks about the house and its surroundings, the stables, the motor house and its very rare petrol store.

Audiences were regaled by tales of amazing inventions of which the Haworths were early-adopters – and treated to a visit from a stunning SCAT car – a contemporary of the Haworths’ motor cars.

 

For a small fee, visitors could chance their arm on the tempting tombola or the human fruit machine – a fun and fruity way to win a perfect prize.

 

For those who just wanted to sit back and take in the balmy, end-of-summer mood, the hypnotic moves of the 400 Roses and T’Thorns (see main image), entranced the crowds with their genre-defying brand of traditional dance – a real must-see.

 

The brilliant Baxenden Concert Band delighted everyone with their pitch-perfect performances of classics old and new, drifting through the rose garden. A wonderful way to unwind on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

A huge thank you to  our many visitors, staff and volunteers, who helped make it such a memorable day in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

 

And while it may have been a day of looking back to a bygone era, we’re already looking forward to seeing you at our next event.

Pip pip!

September 21^st, 1921: a host of notable Accringtonians assembles in its finery to witness the opening of an exciting new cultural centre for the town.

It’s the day the Haworth Art Gallery first opens its doors to the public – a cause for celebration for Accrington folk, who would benefit from this most generous gift – the day on which the town, still recovering from the effects of World War I, marks the opening of its first public art gallery. And a day on which to recognise the remarkable people who had made it possible.

Because it’s also a day of sad reflection. The house and grounds, previously known as Hollins Hill, are the bequest of Anne Haworth, who along with her brother William had lived there for fewer years than they no doubt would have hoped.

The Haworths’ family wealth was created by their father Thomas, an engraver by background, who built and ran two thriving cotton mills in Accrington and later passed the running of the businesses on to William. Being from humble beginnings themselves, the Haworths were fair and sympathetic employers, who ran clean mills with good working conditions and were a close and loving family.

It was after the death of Thomas and his wife Mary that William and Anne commissioned York-based architect Walter Brierley, dubbed ‘the Lutyens of the north’, to build Hollins Hill in the Arts & Crafts vernacular as their retirement home.

Completed in 1909, the house had been home to William for just four years when he died in 1913, aged just 65. After his death, Anne lived on more reclusively at the house, along with her companion Ellen Priestley, and died in 1920.

It was Anne’s extraordinary bequest that gave the town its new park, art gallery and collection of beautiful artworks, sculpture and ceramics, among the many items the siblings amassed from both near and far – on their many travels – fulfilling a dream William had harboured: to create a public gallery for the people of his hometown to enjoy. Abraham Whiston, who had been William’s valet and later Anne’s butler, stayed on to become the gallery’s first curator.

The generous bequest was welcomed by the town’s corporation and on this day 100 years ago, Accrington’s mayor officially took charge of the key to its great oak door. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Almost six months since Covid-19 forced the Haworth’s doors to close, they have at last been able to reopen to the public.  Today,  the gallery can once again welcome visitors inside its lovely old walls.

It’s a red letter day – and one which staff and volunteers have been keenly anticipating, working hard to accommodate visitors as safely as possible.

Things will of course be slightly different – in more ways than one. During lock-down, the Haworth’s popular and long-serving Gallery Manager, Yvonne Robins, made the difficult decision to retire.

Yvonne made an enormous contribution to the gallery, overseeing the Stables Studios transformation, introducing the Haworth Artists’ Network, the free family workshop and Sunday concert programmes, and increasing visitor numbers and weddings at the Haworth.  Yvonne will be greatly missed – we all wish her the very best in her future life.

Meanwhile, Curator Gillian Berry and the rest of the Haworth team are delighted to be welcoming visitors back to the gallery – with a few small but important changes to visitor protocols.

Walk-in visits are welcome, but special precautionary measures are of course in place to ensure visitor safety.

A maximum of 20 visitors are allowed at any one time in the gallery space – excluding the Gallery Kitchen, which is also open to the public.

Gallery opening hours will be from Wednesday to Sunday, from 12 noon to 4pm. The Gallery Kitchen opens from 11.30am to 4.30pm, also from Wednesday to Sunday.

Visitors are asked to wear face masks and to follow the special signage and guidance. Hand sanitiser is provided and visitors are requested to use it on arrival.

Distancing is requested to the greatest extent possible between visitors.

Staff, volunteers and Friends all hope that visitors will be able to join us at the Haworth very soon – and enjoy the many delights of our loveliest of local attractions.

Welcome back!

Friends of Haworth Art Gallery helped stage and narrate a delightful exhibition of the history, heritage and fine folk of Baxenden – at St John’s Church in the village. Conceived and hosted by the church, the exhibit brought together visual and oral histories, presented by local interest groups at a special launch event. The Friends focused on the Haworth’s place in Baxenden’s history and the many terrific tales from within its walls – not least, of the Haworth family.

They regaled residents with the history of the house and the fascinating lives of those who lived and worked there in its days as Hollins Hill, the private home of William and Anne Haworth. The Haworths lived in the house from 1909 to 1920, when Anne died – William predeceased her in 1913.

William was a philanthropic man. He gave generously of his time and money to many worthwhile causes and individuals in the area. He was a good employer, who paid decent wages and cared for the welfare of his workers. He was no saint, however, and didn’t suffer fools gladly. He was known to sport a sarcastic wit and a sharp tongue on occasion!

Anne was a beacon of benevolence. Although not much in the public eye, she was well known for her generosity. Like her brother, she was a well-liked employer. Her staff – once they arrived at Hollins Hill – never left, which was testament to her treatment of them.

Among her many acts of generosity, Anne donated her Wolseley car for use as Accrington’s first motorised ambulance – completely fitted out with the most state-of-the-art equipment at the time. On her death, she bequeathed the house and grounds to the people of Accrington, to be used in perpetuity as a museum and art gallery, with the grounds to become a public park.  She also left bequests to every one of her staff.

Staff featured in the exhibition were Anne’s companion, Ellen Priestley;  William’s valet, Abraham Whiston, who would later become Anne’s butler and subsequently the first curator of the museum; chauffeur Joseph Taylor; coachman William Beach; undergardener, Joseph Cowling, and cook, Elizabeth Shaw.

The Friends’ display also featured artifacts for visitors to see and handle, including a parasol and a silk beaded shawl, such as Anne would have worn; a top hat just like the ones William would have used; and Edwardian jewellery just like the objects Anne and Ellen would have possessed. Personal items of yesteryear, such as clogs, and period household items like laundry equipment were also on display.

The exhibition ran for nine days , in which time, almost 900 people enjoyed the displays mounted by the Friends and other exhibitors. Friends’ trustee Roger Cunliffe also had a display on the history of the mills, trams and roads in the Baxenden area near Haworth Art Gallery. It featured a model steam engine and models of trams, coaches and other vehicles that would have seen use in the local area through time.

We at the Friends enjoyed our part in the exhibition immensely. We can’t wait for the next local heritage event. Looking forward – and looking back -2021 will see the centenary of the Haworth as the town’s art gallery. Keep your eyes peeled!