Description: Allhallows Museum Honiton, Devon has one of the most comprehensive collections of Honiton Lace in the world, displays in two galleries feature exquisite examples of 16th to early 20th century Honiton lace
devon (2089) lace (275) honiton (61) honiton lace (4) allhallows museum (2)
Allhallows Museum in Honiton High Street has an astonishing wealth of local heritage information and artefacts packed into the oldest building in Honiton. Founded seventy six years ago this November, the Museum is still run entirely by volunteers who work to preserve the heritage of the people of Honiton and the surrounding district.
The focus for the Museum is all things Honiton. We hold the largest collection of Honiton lace in the world, tracing the history of lacemaking in Honiton from the 17th century to the present day. You can see the first written evidence of lace production in Honiton; a brass plaque from the tomb of James Rodge, dated 1617. There are also examples of black lace worn by the Victorians as a symbol of mourning and a scarlet nightdress which was owned by Wallis Simpson, who King Edward abdicated the throne for in
The museum also displays fossils and historic artefacts from archaeological digs in the area. The most famous being the Honiton Hippo. The fossilised remains of seventeen hippos were found during the construction of the bypass in 1965. The hippos are thought to have lived in the area during a warm interlude in the Ice Age, when England had a climate similar to that in Africa today.