It might be hidden away in a Georgian basement, but ‘Bath should be proud of what it’s got downstairs’.
So says Bernard Donoghue – Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions and the man who officially opened the new ‘A History of Fashion in 100 Objects’ at the city’s Fashion Museum last night (Friday, March 18).
ALVA’s members – of which the Roman Baths is one – are the UK’s most popular, iconic and important museums, galleries, palaces, castles, cathedrals, zoos, historic houses, heritage sites, gardens and leisure attractions.
They comprise over 2200 tourist sites, hosting over 119 million domestic and overseas visitors each year – around 28% of the visits made annually in the UK.
Mr Donoghue said the Fashion Museum had a premier reputation around the world and that the new exhibition was thought provoking and dynamic in the way it showed how people presented themselves through history.
Behind the silks, cottons and man-made fibres were stories of people, power, poverty and passion.
Several hundred guests gathered in the Tea Room for a welcome from the Vice Chairman of B&NES Cllr Alan Hale before going down to have a look at the new exhibition themselves.
The galleries of the museum have been refreshed and re-modelled for the new display. One hundred ‘star ‘objects from its collection have been selected to help showcase a history of fashion from the 1500s to the present day.
Check out www.fashionmuseum.co.uk for opening times and admission charges
