History group

At the meeting of the Bill MacadamLocal History Group last Friday evening, the speaker was Lady Diana Falkiner, helped by Martin Russell, who is a photographer. Lady Diana used to keep the shop Huckaback' in Church Street - a veritable treasure trove of wonderful old linens and laces. Having had a few doubts as to whether the men present would be interested in Period costume and old linens, the whole evening was a great success, with a number of people saying it was the best yet! Diana talked about the beautiful items she had brought along to show us- huckaback towels that dried every bit as well as modern towelling ; lovely cloths with hints of their age in the decorations woven into them; souvenirs of the First World War from France. Then Martin took over and showed two short films taken at Goodwood. During the Goodwood Revival he photographed people in 1940s outfits- as well as the old cars. The other film was of wonderful old cars. Everyone enjoyed these Film Shows' with the images blending and twisting into each other. Then Lady Diana showed some of the underwear in her collection. Much of it was silk and beautifully made; but there were also some fine cotton bloomers of gigantic size! Some gorgeous 1940s hats were shown from the days when women always wore hats - I remember my own mother would not have gone shopping without a hat. It was a fascinating evening- one not to be missed. The group very much hopes that Diana and Martin will come to Hilston again sometime soon. John Pullen thanked the two speakers very much for such an interesting evening.