The Honourable Rachel Beatrice Kay-Shuttleworth MBE (1886-1967) was the last member of the Shuttleworth family member to live at Gawthorpe Hall and built up an amazing and eclectic collection of textiles over her lifetime. This collection eventually became the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection and for many years was still housed in Gawthorpe Hall.

Rachel was taught to sew, draw and paint from a young age under the guidance of her mother, Lady Blanche and the family governess. When at her family's South Kensington residence in London, Rachel's passion for textiles and design was further fuelled by regular visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Gawthorpe was not a large house, and as a child when visitors came to stay, Rachel often found herself sleeping in different rooms around the Hall,

“I used to be packed in anywhere, and in that way I made my exciting discovery of design. Different rooms had different patterned ceilings, usually with a basic geometrical one, and long before I could read I invented a lovely game by which I invented other patterns by drawing out this line and cutting a line across here. And when I grew up and read books on design I thought this is silly, everybody knows this and that... but it was because I'd educated myself in design with the ceiling patterns!”

Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth when interviewed by Michael Conroy in 1963

Inspired by the teachings of the Arts and Crafts Movement which surrounded her as she grew up, Rachel was confident in the knowledge that creativity and craft unlocked health, social and economic prospects for those in the community most in need. She became a maker, teacher, philanthropist and social activist who began collecting textile and craft items as early as 1912 to help with her teaching.

Her Collection was largely acquired through donations from an extensive network of family, friends and acquaintances. The collection was not intended to be merely observed and looked at through the glass of display cabinets, but to be held, touched, and used for educational purposes. Some of the most significant pieces in the collection were made by Rachel herself. They are evidence of her skill and keen eye for colour and design.

The objects that form the Collection were each collected to demonstrate design and craftsmanship as a source of inspiration. Each item has its story to tell, of tradition and skill, creativity and innovation.