Heritage Horizons

I am delighted to announce that I am part of this year’s Heritage Horizons cohort with the University of Bedfordshire. Its been a long time since I’ve been able to concentrate on my own creative practice so I am really excited by this opportunity. My project will explore the use of natural dyes in the wool and hat industries in Bedfordshire and will include dye workshops and a travelling exhibition.

Read the launch Press Release here Second cohort of ‘Heritage Horizons’ commissions announced | University of Bedfordshire

For the Love of Colour

For this project I aimed to:

  • Research historical sources and the use of natural dyes in Bedfordshire’s wool and straw-hat trades, with a particular focus on Dunstable.
  • Research the wider trade in wool and natural dyes, which supported the craftsmen in Bedfordshire.
  • Deliver workshops to show participants how use natural dye stuffs and foraged plants, extract the pigments and apply them to textiles. Attendees created unique textile pieces, using the fabric they dyed which, along with their responses to the workshop, form part of this exhibition
  • Create a travelling exhibition, featuring an historical display, dye samples, items made in the workshops and ‘Meet the Expert’ days.

Throughout this project consider the sustainability and ecological benefits of natural dyes including using recycled cotton and making pigments from any leftover dye liquids.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • From Grossers to Grocers: This History of the Grocers Company, Dr Helen Clifford
  • The Woollen and Worsted Industries, E. M. Sigsworth, J. M. Blackman
  • Wild Colour and a Heritage of Colour, Jenny Dean
  • The History of Woad, John Edmunds
  • Woad to This & the Cloth Trade in Frome, Carolyn Griffiths
  • Madder Red: A History of Luxury and Trade (Caucasus World), Robert Chenciner
  • Memoirs of an 18th Century Master Dyer and Natural Dyes, Dominque Cardon
  • Vegetable Dyes, Ethel Mairet
  • Straw Hats and Bonnets, Joan Curren
  • Dyeing and the Clothing of the Common People 1580-1660, Stuart Peachey and David Hopkins
  • The Book of Dunstable and Houghton Regis, Vivienne Evans
  • The Art of the Dyer 1500-1700, David Hopkins
  • They Came to the Crossroads, Jean Yates
  • Medieval Dunstable, John Buckledee, Joan Curran, Vivienne Evans, Hugh Garrod, Tony Woodhouse, and Jean Yates
  • The History of Dunstable, WH Derbyshire, MA
  • Dunstable and its Surroundings, Worthington G Smith
  • Bedfordshire Archives
  • Wardown Park Museum Archives
  • National Archives

Dye Garden

In 2020 I was honored to be asked to make some dye samples using the plants in the Dunstable Physic Garden, for a BBC TV programme

Invisible Art Trail

In 2019 I worked with local Artists and Dunstable Town Council to produce an Invisible Art Trail to reflect Dunstable’s history This is a… – Dunstables Invisible Street Art Trail | Facebook

Published On: September 22, 2025By Categories:

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