Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth
“I have a vision of a place of meeting where neighbours will come for many reasons to seek stimulating thought by meeting other active minds, to find refreshment and inspiration and a joy in beauty”.
Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, 1912
The Honourable Rachel Beatrice Kay-Shuttleworth MBE (1886-1967) was the last member of the Shuttleworth family member to live at Gawthorpe Hall. Over her lifetime she built an amazing and eclectic collection of textiles from around the world, which she housed at Gawthorpe Hall. This collection eventually became the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.
Rachel's interest in the arts began at an early age, she was taught to sew, draw and paint 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.
As a child when visitors came to stay at Gawthorpe Hall, 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 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 support her teaching.
Her collection was largely acquired through donations from an extensive network of family, friends and acquaintances. The collection was not intended observation, but to be held, touched, and used for educational purposes. Some of the most significant pieces in the collection were made by Rachel herself, 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.
Alongside her love of crafts, Rachel had many other interests that occupied her time. She played a key part in the development of the Girl Guides movement in Lancashire, being involved for over 30 years. She was one of the pioneers for raising the standard of handicrafts (especially needlework) through her work as the first Heraldry Adviser. She received their highest award for service, the Silver Fish.
Rachel served as a Justice of the Peace, worked with the Red Cross, Women’s Voluntary Service, and the Civic Arts Association, amongst many other community roles and duties. Rachel taught in the community and opened up her home at Gawthorpe Hall to the public as her "Craft House".
She campaigned tirelessly to raise the funds to secure its future. By the time of her death in 1967, Gawthorpe had become a favourite destination for schools, colleges, craft societies and anyone keen to learn. The Craft House was a living centre for creativity with textiles out on display around the Hall – a working collection, a precious teaching resource.
Following her death the collection continued to grow with many more generous donations and remained at Gawthorpe until 2023 before being relocated to its new venue at Northlight; a refurbished 19th century mill in the nearby town of Brierfield.
Commissioned by Community Rail Lancashire to encourage visits to Gawthorpe Hall and the Textile Collection via train, this film tells the inspirational story of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. Archive footage of Rachel has been provided by The North West Film Archive at Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as archive photographs from GTC.
The film was created by Huckleberry Films in collaboration with community artist Cath Ford, who led a series of workshops with year 6 pupils at Padiham Green CE Primary School to create artwork that formed part of the final animation.
