Textile Group: What can archaeological finds and the close inspection of artefacts, specifically textiles, reveal about the past?
A talk from former National Trust curator Anna Forrest on the exciting underfloor discoveries made in Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, and then Helena Loemans speaks on what's revealed from textile close weave analysis.
This talk will be in two halves; first we will hear from former National Trust curator Anna Forrest about the underfloor discoveries made during the reroofing project at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, finds ranging from fragments of late 16thc books to high status Elizabethan textiles, and then learn from Helena Loemans how close weave analysis can add to our understanding of how textiles were made, and their origins.
Anna Forrest studied Architectural History and Medieval Studies before working as a curator for the National Trust in the East of England for 19 years. She is returning to academia in October. For her final 3 years with the Trust she worked exclusively at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk, as project curator for the £6m building conservation project, “Raise the Roof.” She led an interdisciplinary research programme which shed new light on Oxburgh’s structure, decoration and social history.
