Turning cotton into gold

Fresh from a London exhibition that won rave reviews the cultural treasures of East Lancashire are returning home.

Cotton to Gold opening at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery in September is a selection from the world class collections and rare artefacts amassed by local Edwardian mill owners and entrepreneurs.

The exhibition reveals how they collected both the exquisite and the unusual from the furthest corners of the earth and spent their fortunes on items such as Turner watercolours, Tiffany glass and rare Japanese prints.

It features items from the collections of Blackburn Museum, Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum in Burnley and Accrington’s Haworth Art Gallery.

Brought together for the first time the pieces went on show earlier this year at central London’s Two Temple Place and attracted people from all over the UK.

Visitors to the Blackburn show will be able see among the exhibits works collected by Blackburn rope manufacturer Robert Edward Hart who amassed what has been described as ‘an almost entire history of the written word’ from Assyrian tablets dating back to c.2000 BC to works by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.

His collection also includes early Islamic texts and a third edition folio of Shakespeare’s plays which is one of the rarest copies of the great playwright’s work.

Some of the 1,000 Japanese prints bequeathed by textile mill owner Thomas Boys Lewis who founded Blackburn Textile Museum will be on display.

And a selection of the 2,500 species of beetles left to Blackburn Museum by Arthur C Bowdler whose passion was coleoptery.

The exhibition was the idea of  Dr Cynthia Johnston at the Institute of English Studies from the School of Advanced Study at the University of London who is conducting a three year research project into the Hart collection.

It will see academics from all over the world studying the books and understanding their importance.

Dr Cynthia Johnston, said: “The Hart Collection of rare manuscripts and books, as well as his collection of ancient coins and English gold, is certainly one of the finest in the UK.

“Hart’s vision, and his passion, for his collections, and for what they might bring to Blackburn and the ‘people of the town’ is truly astonishing. Our community of scholars from around the UK will reveal more about the national and international significance of this outstanding collection.”

Executive member for Blackburn with Darwen Council, Damian Talbot, added: “We’ve always known that we have some world class items in our collection and are delighted that this exhibition, with the help of Dr Cynthia Johnston, has brought some much deserved recognition. I hope that people will take this opportunity to return or even visit the museum for the first time to appreciate the cultural heritage left to this town.”

Cotton to Gold runs from September 12 until November 14 at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. Museum St, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 7AJ 01254 667130

More information about the exhibition

http://issuu.com/blackburnisopen/docs/14572_bio_by_skill___hard_work_zine