What's On
Upcoming Events
Our venue at Northlight in Brierfield has a dedicated studio space where we can run workshops, study visits, talks and more.
Here you'll see a preview of our upcoming events and you can always find the full list of available events and book tickets by
visiting our Eventbrite page using the button below.
The best way to stay up to date with our event announcements is to follow us on Eventbrite,
join our mailing list or follow our social media accounts.
Heritage Open Days: Behind the Scenes Store Tours
To celebrate Heritage Open Days we are running four behind the scenes tours of our collection stores throughout the day. These will offer you the chance to look behind the scenes at how we store and care for our amazing collection of over 35,000 heritage textiles, which are now stored in custom built storage in a converted 19th century textile mill. You'll also get the opportunity to see some items from the collection as we explore the stores.
The tour will be led by the collection's Curator, Rachel Midgley and each tour will last around 30 minutes with opportunities to ask questions afterwards.
Although these events are free of charge, booking is essential so that we can keep track of numbers as space in the stores is limited. There will be four tours run throughout the day starting at 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Wednesday 17th September 2025, Tours start at 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
BTB25 Talk: Innovations in 19th and 20th Century Textiles
To coincide with this year's British Textile Biennial themes of Invention and Innovation this talk by Gawthorpe Textiles Collection Curator Rachel Midgley will explore examples of innovations that shaped the textile industry and fashions from the early 19th century through to the mid 20th century. We’ll discuss advances in technology such as the Bobbinet, Jacquard, Leavers, Cornely machines, new processes for dyeing and printing and the development of some key synthetic fibres. The talk will feature items of costume, embroidery, lace, patchwork and more from the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.
After the talk guests will divide into two groups - one will visit the collection store for a behind the scenes tour whilst the other group will have the chance to look at a small selection of items relevant to the talk in detail. The two groups will then swap over so each group gets to do both.
Saturday 11th October 2025, 10:30am to 12:30pm
BTB25 Study Day: Innovations in 19th Century Textiles
The British Textile Biennial explores invention and innovation in textile production and this in-person study day will take you on a journey through the textiles of the 19th century - a period when amazing innovations in technology and science shaped the way textiles were designed and made.
We will be studying original antique textiles from the collection produced using innovations such as roller printing, jacqaurd weaving, aniline dyeing and machine made lace. The study visit will be guided by our Curator who will talk you though the items, pointing out design and construction details not to be missed and answering questions throughout the day.
This is a fantastic opportunity to spend time with some textiles that are not normally on display, learn something new and meet other people who share an interest in textiles and crafts.
Saturday 25th October 2025, 10am-3:30pm
