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Workshops Step out in Style this Spring! Monday 30th March 2026 10:30 - 12:00 pm Read More

Exhibitions 'Laura Ashley : From Kitchen to Catwalk' Extended until Summer 2026 Read more 'Best Foot Forward: Shoes and Accessories' June 2026 Read more 'Power Dressing' February 2025 - November 2026 Read more '20th Century Brides : A Hundred Years of Wedding Dress' 16th February 2026 Read more 'Youthquake:1960s' 16th February 2026 Read more More... More ... More... More... More...

Online Talks List Online Talks for 2026 coming soon ...... Calling all Fashion Designers! Be inspired by our 'Youthquake:1960s' exhibition to design your own garments. We will use our Youthquake:1960s exhibition as a starting point to spark creativity in designing some exciting and innovative garments. Students from Arts University Bournemouth and local 6th forms worked with the staff from the Fashion Museum to bring this dynamic exhibition to life. We will also examine the the sketches, paintings and collage work of Heidy and Isabelle Becks. All materials will be supplied but feel free to bring your own pens, pencils and colouring materials with you. Under 16s must be accompanied by a parent/carer https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/calling-all-fashion-designers-tickets-1984958686866?aff=ebdsoporgprofile Read More

Easter decorations! Have some eggs-tra special fun at our workshop and decorate an Easter hat to wear at all your Easter activities. We will be decorating an Easter hat with chicks, bunnies, flowers and stickers. All materials are supplied. A drink and a biscuit are also included in the price, as is a look around the Museum, if you wish. All children must be accompanied by a parent/carer. This workshop must have at least 4 attendees to run. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/step-out-in-style-this-spring-tickets-1984761806993?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Get egg-cited and make some Easter chicks and Easter baskets! Join us at the Blandford Fashion Museum on April 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM for a fun, hands-on Easter craft session! We'll be making cute Easter chicks and colorful Easter baskets—perfect for celebrating the season. Don’t miss out on this egg-cellent event! All materials are supplied. Children must be accompanied by a parent/carer. A drink and a biscuit are included in the price and you may also look around the Fashion Museum if you wish. This workshop must have 4 attendees to run. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/get-egg-cited-and-make-some-easter-chicks-and-easter-baskets-tickets-1984769484958?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

'Youthquake:1960s' 16th February 2026 Blandford Fashion Museum is excited to present the 'Youthquake:1960s' exhibition, as part of the Fashioning Our Future project with The Salisbury Museum. Thanks to funding received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Fashioning Our Future project, students from Arts University Bournemouth and local Sixth Forms have been working with the museum team to bring to life this dynamic exhibition. Choosing objects from the museum’s extensive fashion collection, the students explored 1960s boutique fashion alongside homemade garments encapsulating the free-spirited energy of the 1960s. Many of the garments featured in the exhibition represent innovative sartorial statements expressed during the 1960s era through bold garments made at home. This adventurous attitude to style is a theme that resonated with the students, aligning with their concerns around sustainability and making conscious fashion choices. In addition to marveling at the glorious 1960s fashions on display, visitors can also step into fashions of the era with a specially selected collection of garments for dressing up and handling. From crochet to patchwork, bold minidresses and boho maxi dresses, expect to be immersed in the 1960s era in this fantastic fashion exhibition.

Get egg-cited and make some Easter chicks and Easter baskets! Join our Easter workshop and decorate some Easter chicks and construct an Easter basket. Get egg-cited and make some Easter chicks and Easter baskets! Join us at the Blandford Fashion Museum on April 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM for a fun, hands-on Easter craft session! We'll be making cute Easter chicks and colorful Easter baskets—perfect for celebrating the season. Don’t miss out on this egg-cellent event! All materials are supplied. Children must be accompanied by a parent/carer. A drink and a biscuit are included in the price and you may also look around the Fashion Museum if you wish. This workshop must have 4 attendees to run. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/get-egg-cited-and-make-some-easter-chicks-and-easter-baskets-tickets-1984769484958?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

About The late Mrs. Betty Penny MBE founded the Blandford Fashion museum, located in Lime Tree House, in 1996. The house is a beautiful Georgian property in Blandford Forum, built by John and William Bastard after the town’s Great Fire in 1731. Mrs. Penny’s collection of costumes, known locally as the Cavalcade of Costume, form the nucleus of the present collection. However, since then the collection has almost trebled in size and continues to grow thanks to generous donations from the public. In 2024, thanks to Dorset Council for the Culture and Community Project Fund we were able to initiate Stage 1 of our digitisation project, which has enabled us to digitally record all of the paperwork and photography associated with the Cavalcade of Costume. We are looking at a way at making this available through our website but for now, if you are interested in studying this wealth of information please email collections@blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk . The Arts Council gave the museum accredited status in 2010, and renewed it in 2015. We receive a small grant from the Town Council, but no other public funding. As a result, we have a few paid members of staff and an invaluable team of volunteers. We have a reputation locally for our friendly atmosphere. We have thirteen display spaces over two floors, and there is a rolling programme of exhibition changes. Our exhibitions showcase historic dress and textiles and the connection between fashion and social history. Additional facilities include a Resources Room for use by students studying fashion & textiles and a Lecture Room for study days.

Blandford Fashion Museum welcomes groups to view our wonderful exhibitions. We are open for such visits on either Monday, Thursday or Friday between 10.30am and 4.00pm. In the first instance, email the museum to check whether the date you would like to come is available. If the date is free, we will then email you a booking form along with the museum’s bank details so that immediate payment can be made. Only BACS payments are acceptable – no cheques or cash. The booking will only be confirmed once full payment has been received. We do not take bookings over the phone. Lastly, our team is made up of part-time volunteers so you may not receive an immediate response to your request. We aim to get back to you as quickly as possible so please allow a week for a reply. Our displays are over two floors. The building is a mix of Georgian, Victorian and 20th century construction. Both floors are on varying levels and may not be suitable for all visitors. Sadly, we do not, as yet, have a lift. There are ground floor toilets facilities and are easily accessible. We have a tearoom and gift shop and you may wish to enjoy a drink and a piece of cake when you visit. However, there is limited seating and it can be busy with our regular customers. There are 4 categories of visits. Please read carefully to decide which category applies best to your proposed visit. Bronze Visit This is designed for a group of up to ten people to view the current exhibitions accompanied by one of our volunteers. The tour normally lasts about one and a half hours. After the tour you may want to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of a cake in our award-winning tearoom and gift shop. Please note – refreshments are not included in the entry price. The cost is £100 and payment will be made at the point of booking. This is fully refundable if you cancel more than a week before the proposed visit. Email collections@blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk to check for availability and a booking form. Silver Visit Silver is for larger groups (up to 20) who would like a more in-depth experience. The visit will be led by a costume and/or textile professional who will share their extensive knowledge with you. The visit will be divided into 2 groups; half the group will tour the museum while the other half will enjoy, at close quarters, some of the costumes we have in our archive. The groups will then swap over. The visit will last up to 3 hours. After the tour you may want to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of a cake in our award-winning tearoom and gift shop. Please note – refreshments are not included in the entry price. The cost is £250 and payment will be made at the point of booking. This is refundable if you cancel more than a week before the proposed visit. Email collections@blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk to check for availability and a booking form. Gold Visit This is designed for students (up to 5) to view items in the archive for project research. The length of time can be discussed with the collections manager. The cost is £25 per hour and payment will be made at the point of booking. This is fully refundable if the visit is cancelled at least a week beforehand. These visits will be limited to either Thursday or Friday. Email collections@blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk to check for availability and a booking form. Platinum Visit A bespoke service available to individual researchers. A one-to-one visit costs £25 per hour and details will be discussed with the collections manager at the time of booking. These visits will be limited to either a Thursday or Friday. Email collections@blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk to check for availability and a booking form. Group Visits

'Power Dressing' February 2025 - November 2026 Power Dressing: 1770-1990 Fashion and textiles have long been signifiers of power and wealth. Throughout the ages, the colour and fabric of garments communicated the status of the wearer. Certain fabrics and colours have even been banned for lower classes. The style of a garment can enable the wearer to create a statement and take up space. The production of textiles has the power to create fortunes and destabilise entire economies. This exhibition is split into two rooms. The Powerful Silhouette focuses on how emphasis on shoulders in women's wear can create a commanding figure, from the shoulder pads of the 1980s to Romantic leg-of-mutton sleeves of the 1820s. Power & Textiles examines the cultural and economic significance of certain fabrics through time, from sumptuary laws and velvet to paisley shawls and The British Empire. See handout for more information.

Tea Room Welcome to our award-winning tearoom and gift shop situated on the ground floor of the museum. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a slice of cake or maybe a cream tea in our traditional tearoom! We offer gluten free cake and biscuits and plant-based milk. On a warm day, you can relax in our enclosed sunny courtyard. We allow well behaved dogs in the tearoom but please use the side entrance as only assistance dogs are allowed in the museum. All visitors are welcome whether you are visiting the museum or not. We have an accessible ground floor lavatory and baby changing facilities. Our gift shop sells affordable fashion related books and other souvenirs. New to 2026 we will be selling gift vouchers for that small perfect gift. Please ask at the till.

The History of Theatre Costume This talk by Dr Helen Walter looks at some of the crazier moments in Theatre costume and reminds us ' anything goes' In an age where Wuthering Heights and Bridgerton are making headlines for breaking all sorts of rules when it comes to Theatre Costume, are they really as outlandish as they seem? Explore with us some of the craziest moments in the history of Theatre costume. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-history-of-theatre-costume-tickets-1986898698493?aff=ebdsoporgprofile#location