Final year Fashion and Design History student Grace Dowle reviews ‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ at the Experience Barnsley Museum (1st Apr – 16th Sep 2023)
‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ at the Experience Barnsley Museum (1st April- 16th September 2023)
by Grace Dowle
‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ explores and celebrates the history of the textiles industry within Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The exhibition ran from the 1st April to 16th September 2023. Jon Finch, Head of Culture and Visitor Economy describes ‘Tailor Made’ as “a wonderful exhibition, offering people the opportunity to reminisce about those iconic people, places, and garments that hold special places in the town’s past”[1]. Located in The Experience Barnsley Museum in Barnsley’s Town Hall, the exhibition is accompanied by the Museum’s main collection exploring Barnsley’s past as an industrial town, industries such as coal mining and glass production. An emphasis is placed on celebrating the lives and heritage of the people of Barnsley, with the website describing the museum as “By the people, for the people, and about the people!”[2]
‘Tailor Made’ aims to highlight the people, processes, and products of Barnsley’s rich textile industry[3]. Spanning from the 18th century to the present day, the exhibition highlights the history and notoriety of the products produced. The objects on display included a late 19th century McLintock’s quilted housecoat, a McLintock’s quilted jacket and pantaloons and a more modern example from Lucy and Yak who started their business in 2017 and have gone on to produce their products in Barnsley[4]. Photographs of workers and factories at Corahs and Sugden’s were displayed.
Figure 1- McLintock’s Quilted Jacket and Pantaloons from the “Tailor Made in Barnsley” Exhibition, Experience Barnsley, Barnsley. Personal Photograph by the author. 27th July. 2023
It covers the evolution of linen production in Barnsley in the 19th century, originating from single looms in weaver’s cottages in the 18th century to bigger factories in the 19th and 20th century, Barnsley’s linen grew to be known for its quality [1]. The textile factories of the 20th century included McLintock’s, Wm Sugden & Sons, N Corah and Sons, and S R Gents. Most objects displayed were from McLintock’s. A variety of examples from a wider range of the companies mentioned would have refined the exhibition.
Opening in 2013, Experience Barnsley was formed using objects donated by local people and is free to enter[2]. The museum relies mainly on public funding, grants, and donations from visitors. However, limited funding and the need for object donations explains the weaknesses of the exhibition that I have highlighted.
The exhibition space itself was small, located in a room off the permanent exhibition gallery. There is a lack of a route through the room, but limited exhibition space can make it more difficult to form an effective layout and to offer more physical examples. Public feedback and interaction are an essential part of the museum. The museum requested feedback regarding the space, and they also appealed for more photographs and information to be sent regarding the local textiles industry. A comment board prompted visitors to share their own stories, many who left notes worked locally in the textiles industry, offering personal accolades to accompany the information on show. There were a lot of interactive elements to the exhibition, with the center of the room dedicated to craft activities.
In a research project undertaken by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester, it is shown that smaller museums are often a lot more centered around their community, but lack of funding hinders them. Staff resources are often stretched, and limited funding can impact the range of the museum[1]. While Experience Barnsley has some solid streams of income, it is often shared with five other museums in the borough, limiting the amount they receive and therefore limiting the scale and the variety of objects exhibited. As a relatively new museum, they do not have the masses of objects on hand that an older, larger museum would have, such as the V&A.
The V&A opened in 1852[2] and has since amassed over 2.8 million objects[3]. The V&A are also able to generate a large amount of income from their ‘blockbuster’ exhibitions, which smaller museums would struggle to arrange. Collecting for Experience Barnsley started several years before its opening, relying on public donations to form the main collections. Smaller and newer museums could never reach the scale of a long-established institution such as the V&A.
‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ is informative and sheds light on a more forgotten industry of Barnsley. It celebrates the town’s people, and its past; the community is at the heart of this museum and exhibition. As a local exhibition it is relatable to the local people who have connections to these places, but it also offers important information about the forming of Barnsley’s background as a proud, industrial town. While there are some drawbacks regarding space and the variety of physical examples, there are explanations that need to be considered before forming a final judgement.
Sources cited:
[1] Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester, “Small Museums and Social Inclusion: Data and key findings of a research project funded by Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries”, 2000-2001, https://le.ac.uk/-/media/uol/docs/research-centres/rcmg/publications/small-museums-final-report-to-resource.pdf
[2]The V&A Museum, “The V&A Story”, www.vam.ac.uk, https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/the-va-story
[3] The V&A Museum, “About Us”, www.vam.ac.uk, https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/about-us#:~:text=We%20share%20a%205%2C000%20year,objects%20spanning%20every%20creative%20discipline.
[1] Barnsley Museums, “Tailor Made: Barnsley’s Textile Industry”, barnsleymuseums.art.blog, 31st March 2023, https://barnsleymuseums.art.blog/2023/03/31/tailor-made-barnsleys-textile-industry/
[2] Experience Barnsley, “Museum”, www.experience-barnsley.com, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/museum
[1]Experience Barnsley, “Bobbin to Experience Barnsley for their new Exhibition – Tailor Made!”, www.experience-barnsley.com, 28thMarch 2023, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/news/bobbin-to-experience-barnsley-for-their-new-exhibition-tailor-made
[2] Experience Barnsley, “Museum”, www.experience-barnsley.com, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/museum
[3]Experience Barnsley, “Tailor Made in Barnsley”, www.experience-barnsley.com, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/digital/tailor-made-in-barnsley
[4] Lucy & Yak, “Our Story”, lucyandyak.com, https://lucyandyak.com/pages/our-story