‘The thousands inside all seemed to radiate with joy’ – The Great Exhibition of 1851

We’ve just had all the fun of the fair this May Day, and welcomed back Great British Fun Fair’s brilliant Victorian Swing Boats and Chair-o-planes. Nearly 163 years ago, Robert Hyde Greg enjoyed one of the greatest fairs the country had ever seen; the Great Exhibition of 1851.   Whilst cataloguing letters of the Greg…

Behind the Scenes with Style at Styal

Our brand new exhibition Style at Styal has been open for a couple of weeks now and has already attracted a great many visitors who have been delighted with the fabulous costumes on display. Watch the video below, starring yours truly and Jenny our wonderful costumier to find out about the story behind the exhibition….

Make yourself ‘Styalish’

Quarry Bank is gearing up to once more open our doors 7 days a week when the National trust begins its ‘summer season’ this Saturday. Here at Quarry Bank, this first week of the new season will see us welcome lots of families to our half-term activities. From Mon 17- Fri 21, 12-4pm, kids can…

“We’ve only got one shot at this here…”

On Thursday our brand new exhibition ‘A Lady of Letters‘ was installed, telling the story of Hannah Greg, wife of  Samuel Greg, and her influence over Quarry Bank Mill. The exhibition was put together  by Learning and Interpretation Assistant Carrie-Anne Parkes to complement the release of  David Sekers’ new book “A Lady of Cotton: Hannah Greg,…

‘Best Wishes’ – Emily Gair Greg

Our wonderful exhibition ‘Best Wishes’ has been open for over a month now and hopefully you’ve had the chance to come and see it. I thought as a way to entice you to visit the exhibition if you haven’t already would be to tell you the story of the inspiration behind ‘Best Wishes’; Emily Gair Greg….

‘Best wishes’: a glimpse at our upcoming exhibition

As you are no doubt aware; Christmas is coming! Sending your nearest and dearest a card at Christmas is a long-standing tradition reaching back into the Victorian era. They are a way to spread a little good cheer, reconnect with distant family members, recap the year’s events and bring a smile to your loved one’s…

Through Lichfield’s Lens…

‘On the walls of the models’ changing room in my west London studio are nearly 1,000 Polaroid instant pictures – a record of every major assignment I’ve had since 1971. I always used to keep the best of these not-for-publication tests from each session at the end of every year to remind me of all…