Historic ‘society bride’ wedding dress goes on display at Belton Estate
An exciting new display is now offering the chance to see remarkable ‘high society’ wedding dress up close at the bride’s family home of Belton House in Lincolnshire.
In May 1954, 2,000 people gathered outside St Wulfram’s Church in Grantham for Caroline Cust’s wedding to John Arthur Partridge.
It was the talk of the town, and the country, and a special train from King’s Cross to Grantham was even put on for guests.
Now cared for by the National Trust, the house was the venue for a lavish reception. The display can be found in the Hondecoeter Dining Room where a huge marquee in the Dutch Garden could have been seen through the windows during the celebrations.
A colourful floral arrangement forms part of the display, emulating the way the house was decorated for the wedding: with garlands of flowers throughout and blooms imported from the Brownlow family’s estates in Jamaica across the great mantelpieces.
The dress, a spectacle of white lace and silver thread, was designed by Mary Donan, a court dressmaker well-loved by high society, including members of the Royal Family. It features in the National Trust book ‘100 Things To Wear’ and one of the authors, Assistant National Curator for the National Trust Helen Antrobus, helped to unbox and install the dress at Belton.
She said: "The dress was actually in Tatler magazine; Caroline was the society bride of the day. And I just love that the dress speaks to that 1950s fashion, that Christian Dior new look; it’s got the wide, long-flowing skirt, it’s got the net to make it really stand out. It’s exaggerated and it’s as far away from the fashion of the Second World War as you can get.”
As part of the display, which lasts until Sunday, November 1, visitors can also see an original invitation to the wedding along with the family photo album and selected photographs.
Ffion Boyd, Collections and House Officer at Belton, said: “We love sharing the fascinating stories of the Brownlows and Custs with our visitors. Everything that is on display in the house was owned and collected by them so each object has its own tale to tell. The wedding dress is an amazing example of this and something I know our visitors will really enjoy seeing; the sparkle of that silver thread is a truly special sight.”
The display follows another much-anticipated development at Belton as work has now been completed on the Staircase Hall ceiling rose. Scaffolding, which had been erected for around three years, has been removed and visitors can now fully enjoy the remarkable craftsmanship of this unique centrepiece.
Belton Estate is currently open every day from 9.30am to 5.30pm. The house opens from 11am to 4pm each day, with last entry half an hour before. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are Conservation and Care days in the house with around 25 per cent of the rooms open while the Collections Team work to care for the rest. On these days, the house closes at 3.30pm. More information can be found at nationaltrust.org.uk/Belton.