Trip to see Horrockses exhibition at the Harris, Preston

We have organised another trip to the Harris Museum on 14 October 2026, to include two curator-led tours to see the Horrockses exhibition – Horrockses Fashions: Everyday Glamour & the Art of British Ready-to-Wear, with Scott Schiavone, the Decorative Art Curator at the Harris, who gave our lecture in October last year.

Horrockses started in the Lancashire textile industry; by the mid-1940s its fashion label dressed The Queen, Princess Margaret and the Duchess of Kent. Designers studied Paris fashions and produced two collections a year — 160 dresses each time — at prices ordinary women could save for: a Horrockses dress meant something. The Harris holds the largest museum collection of Horrockses garments in the UK.

We will see around 60 dresses, with original sample sheets, fabric swatches and design books. Our trip will also include a second tour, looking at the Discover Preston gallery.

Tickets cost £42 pp, which includes coach travel from Lytham St Annes with tea or coffee on arrival, a sandwich lunch and the two tours (one before lunch and one after). Tickets will be on sale at the July lecture. The Harris has set a limit of 30 participants, so early booking is recommended.