Many of the oldest items are extremely fragile, require careful storage and sadly can rarely be displayed. They include Victorian wedding and morning clothing, a boy’s embroidered brown silk jacket from circa 1760, and ‘image robes’ – garments made for statues in French Roman Catholic churches before the Revolution.
The museum also holds a large collection of Crysede garments, a Cornwall-based textile designer and manufacturer which printed beautiful and unique designs onto English silk using woodblock in the 1920-1950s.
In 2025 we embarked on a project to record many of the items in our costume collection, uncovering small secrets and endearing eccentricities along the way. Through these precious items, many of which have been treasured, repaired, and passed to the next generation, we’re able to give shape to people and the past. This documentation project was made possible with funding from the Cornwall Community Foundation with thanks to the Tanner Phoenix Trust. Our grateful thanks also goes to the students from Falmouth University who donated their time and skills to helping us document the collection.
