Category: Haworth events programme

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Roll up, roll up, ladles and jelly spoons, for the Haworth’s Edwardian heritage and dressing-up day!

What did the Edwardians ever do for us? (To misquote Monty Python.) Or the late Victorians for that matter?!

Well, they gave us HUGE numbers of things we now take for granted. Hot and cold running water, electric lighting, central heating, the motor car, the telephone – too many to mention . And just some of the inventions championed by early adopters William and Anne Haworth at their beautiful home, Hollins Hill – which, just over a century ago, of course, became the Haworth Art Gallery.

But don’t just take our word for it – come and see for yourself! Our free Heritage Open Day (Sunday, September 18th, 12pm-4pm) is your chance to learn about all the cutting-edge inventions of the day here at the Haworth – to learn about the place and its people – in a fun, festival atmosphere filled with music and dance, Edwardian dress-up and crafty activities, with games and prizes for all the family.

Tours of the house and surroundings, led by the Haworths’ lady’s maid Ellen Priestly and coachman William Beach (they’ve aged very well!) will delight and inform you. Grab your chance to dress in the fashions of the day from our Edwardian wardrobe and pose for a period portrait. Test your skills on vintage games and try your luck in the tombola. Or chance your arm on the Human Fruit Machine – much more fun than a one-armed bandit!  Take part in kids’ crafting workshops or be forever blowing bubbles with our giant bubble-maker.

And if you’d just like to sit and take it all in, you can relax to the soothing sounds of the Baxenden Concert Band and the mesmerising moves of the 400 Roses and T’Thorns cloggers. Or stop for refreshments in our very own Edwardian tea rooms at the Gallery Kitchen.

The Haworth Art Gallery and Artists Studios will be open for visitors, showcasing the talents of our resident artists and the current range of exhibitions. No matter how well – or how little – you know the Haworth, you’ll find something new (or old!) and absolutely fascinating at our heritage fun day.

Come as you are – or in Edwardian dress if it takes your fancy – you’ll fit right in with the staff and Friends of Haworth Art Gallery. Entrance is free, as are almost all of the day’s activities.

We look forward to seeing you here!

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Haworth centenary: what’s in store?

The Haworth’s centenary as Accrington’s art gallery – the jewel in the town – is just around the corner. The fascinating photograph above was taken in 1921, the year the building was opened to the public. What a decorous entourage assembled for the occasion!

“This can’t last. This misery can’t last.” Laura Jesson, Brief Encounter.

As the Haworth staff and Friends volunteers prepare to mark the 100th anniversary (watch this space!), we’ve been hard at work documenting the gallery’s two major artwork stores, uncovering and preserving important artefacts in the permanent collection, many of which will help shape the event.

Our featured photograph was among the hundreds of items in the building’s watercolour store, work on which has been ongoing for the past year, documenting and assessing the condition of each item.

Among the many lovely discoveries were several sheet music albums belonging to William and Anne Haworth. At least one album, bearing William’s monogram and the date 1902, pre-dates the era when the Haworths lived in the house, then known as Hollins Hill.  Friends’ member Frances Prince, leader of the Red Rose Singers, is cataloguing this music, with plans for the group to perform some of it in the 2021 anniversary celebrations. The centenary exhibition will chart the story of the house and celebrate the people who lived and worked here from 1909 to 1920.

Mayoral insignia from the inception of Accrington Corporation, showing the lovely Town and Market Halls.

In addition to all the fantastic photographs and artwork, the store holds a variety of paper-based works, including cartoons, architectural drawings and copies of the documents and correspondence relating to the building of the house,

Among them was this illuminated manuscript (left), recording the bestowal of the mayoral insignia at the first meeting of the newly formed Accrington Corporation in 1878.

Also in this store is the original photograph album of the house from 1921, after Anne died and bequeathed the house to the Corporation. It shows the rooms and furnishings as they were when the house was her home. A copy of the album, sponsored by the Friends, is available at the Haworth reception desk for all visitors to see. Make sure to have a look on your next visit.

A romantic pen and ink sketch (above right) from the watercolour store suggests a Brief Encounter moment; a bittersweet image of an Edwardian-era couple, parting ways as his train prepares to leave. Also in this collection is a photographic portrait of Joseph Briggs (below right), who donated the vast majority of the Haworth’s Tiffany collection to his hometown.

Joseph Briggs, the local lad who became MD of Tiffany Studios and gifted his town the largest Tiffany collection outside the US.

In the early days of 2020, gallery staff, aided by eight volunteers, emptied the gallery’s oil store. Tasked with documenting and assessing the gallery’s more physically substantial works and re-hanging them in a more accessible order – we recorded each painting’s position in the store for ease of management.

Next on our list is documenting the Haworth’s extensive collection of art books, detailing works from Goya to Rembrandt and beyond.

Many of the works in these two stores will inform and illustrate the forthcoming anniversary exhibition, which will be a significant feature of the Haworth’s programme of events next year.

Looking ahead to 2021 has become a luminous objective. We very much hope to see you all there.

*If you’d like to help us realise any of our projects, or perhaps have information about any aspect of the gallery or its heritage – no matter how small – please don’t hesitate to contact us at haworthaccrington@gmail.com.

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2020 vision: Haworth is jewel in the town, says council leader, as staff look to future

Leader of Hynburn Borough Council Miles Parkinson has praised Haworth Art Gallery and its staff, describing the gallery as the town’s “jewel” to local news media. Cllr Parkinson’s remarks, published in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, come as the Haworth leadership prepares to renew the gallery’s Arts Council England accreditation – and looks beyond 2020.

Haworth Curator and Deputy Manager Gillian Berry describes the Arts Council accreditation as the industry standard for museums and galleries and a necessary step for the gallery if it is to seek Arts Council or National Lottery Heritage funding. Accreditation lasts for five years.

Heritage lottery funding was critical to completion of the Haworth’s Stable Studios and Motor House into artists’ studios. It has been an invaluable component of the gallery’s ongoing development as a cultural nexus for the area. Which in turn enhances the Haworth’s ability to provide an exciting and varied programme of events throughout the year.

Proposals for future developments within the gallery complex are under wraps, but its programme of improvements in recent years has included a major reconfiguration of the Tiffany showcase rooms to highlight the story of Joseph Briggs and Accrington’s connections with Tiffany’s New York art studios. As well as the stunning redevelopment of the former greenhouse, stables and motor house, the addition of the Gallery Kitchen, restaurant and bar facility has been a significant part of the gallery’s transformation.

See above and below for the Haworth’s 2020 schedule of exhibitions, workshops and live music events.  Many more functions, events, workshops and classes are organised by staff and volunteers of the Gallery, the Stables Studios, the Haworth Artists’ Network and – of course – the Friends. So stay tuned to our social media for more updates!