Blandford Fashion Museum

About the museum

Blandford Fashion Museum was founded in 1996 by the late Mrs Betty Penny MBE. It is housed in Lime Tree House, a Georgian townhouse built by John and William Bastard after the great fire that destroyed much of Blandford in 1731. Mrs Penny's costume collection, known locally as the Cavalcade of Costume, forms the core of the present collection, which has since almost trebled in size through gifts from the public.

The museum is run by the charity Cavalcade of Costume Ltd with a small paid staff and a team of volunteers, and it receives only a small grant from the Town Council. It was awarded accredited status by Arts Council England in 2010 and renewed in 2015. With support from the Dorset Council Culture and Community Project Fund, a first stage of digitisation in 2024 recorded all paperwork and photographs connected with the Cavalcade of Costume.

There are thirteen display spaces over two floors, with a rolling programme of exhibitions on historic dress and textiles and the link between fashion and social history. A resources room is available for students of fashion and textiles and a lecture room is used for study days. The building mixes Georgian, Victorian and 20th-century construction, and a tea room and gift shop occupy the ground floor.

Highlights

• Rolling programme of historic dress and textile exhibitions
• The founding Cavalcade of Costume collection
• Georgian townhouse built after the 1731 fire
• Award-winning tea room with an enclosed courtyard
• Digital screen showing the full collection

Founded

1996

Operated by

Cavalcade of Costume Ltd

Admission & discounts

Friends of the Museum enter free. Exhibitions in the lecture room are included in the admission price. Group visits are paid in advance by bank transfer.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The tea room and shop are reached by a ramp, and the ground floor toilet is accessible, but wheelchair access to the ground floor is restricted. There are steps to the first floor and no lift; a digital screen shows the full collection. Illuminated magnifying glasses are available from the ticket desk, and a hearing induction loop is available in the lecture room during talks. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

The museum runs regular family workshops, for example hat-making and fabric decorating. A baby-changing facility is in the ground floor toilet area. Under-16s enter free with a fee-paying adult.

Getting there & parking

On foot, follow Church Lane from the Market Place past the small short-stay car park; the museum is on the left, opposite the Royal British Legion. By car the museum is in the middle of the one-way system: from the Market Place go round to Salisbury Street, bear right at the fork and turn immediately right into The Plocks.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The award-winning tea room serves tea, coffee, cakes and cream teas, including gluten-free cake and plant-based milk, and has a sunny enclosed courtyard. It is open to visitors who are not visiting the museum, and well-behaved dogs are allowed there through the side entrance. The gift shop sells fashion-related books and souvenirs, and gift vouchers.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The education (lecture) room is available for hire; the fee includes free museum entry and teas, coffees and cakes from the staffed tea room.

Plan your visit