Huguenot Silk Weavers: A Legacy in Thread

About

This talk explores the rich history of the Huguenot silk weavers, French Protestant refugees who brought exceptional textile skills to England following persecution in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many first settled in coastal towns such as Canterbury, Dover, and Sandwich, before establishing thriving weaving communities in London, most notably in Spitalfields.

Renowned for their intricate designs and technical innovation, Huguenot weavers revolutionised English silk production and set new standards in fashion and design. Their industry flourished for over a century, but eventually declined due to changing tastes, industrialisation, and competition from imported fabrics.

Today, the legacy of Huguenot craftsmanship lives on in contemporary fashion and textile design, with echoes of their motifs, techniques, and entrepreneurial spirit still visible on the catwalk and in the studio.

Following the talk, Lara Dix and Ailsa Hendry will present Huguenot silk samples from the Huguenot Museum and Museum of the Home collections for study. This will be a rare opportunity for close observation of fragile Huguenot silks typically kept in collection stores.

About Lara Dix

Lara Dix is a museum specialist, lecturer, and artist-educator with a background in fashion, textiles, and the history of art and fashion. Currently Operations Manager at the Huguenot Museum in Rochester, they have worked for several years at the intersection of heritage, education, and material culture. With a BA (Hons) in Fashion Promotion and Illustration from the University of the Creative Arts, their practice explores the storytelling power of textiles and the legacy of craftsmanship within displaced communities.

As a qualified lecturer, Lara has taught art, craft, textiles, history of art and fashion in adult education for over two decades, delivering sessions in secure settings, at Greenwich University, and in community learning spaces. They run regular public workshops and talks at the Huguenot Museum, often combining historical research, hands-on making, and interdisciplinary approaches to the museum’s textile and craft collections. Their work celebrates the role of the Huguenot refugee weavers and artisans in shaping British fashion and design heritage.

About Ailsa Hendry

Ailsa Hendry is the Collections Manager at Museum of the Home. She leads the Collections Team overseeing the management and care of around 40,000 objects, archive materials, photographs and books all to do with domestic life and the everyday lived experience of home. Ailsa was previously Curator at The Fan Museum in Greenwich and holds a BA in History from Durham University and an MA in Museum Studies from University College London.

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