Wave Rock Hyden Western Australia

	THE LACE PLACE Wave Rock HYDEN, Western Australia
	Many of the early settlers to Western Australia came from the UK. Some wives found the pioneering bush life tough and uncivilised. They longed for the comforts of "Home". Music, soft furnishings, and the social manners of the Old World seemed so far away. Lace was a symbol of that world that even the poorest could afford. Lace doilies and curtains could be seen in many a bush house through the 1930s to the 1950s. The Lace Place collection, housed in the Wildflower Shoppe building on Wave Rock Road, is a symbol of that effort by Australians to keep their links to the world they left behind even as they built up a new, and different life here. It contains over 2000 items dating from 1650 to the present. Many are hand made from the period 1650-1700. A lacemaker and bobbin are displayed to show how the lace was made. Lace from famous WA pioneers, the Bussel-Leake families, are displayed. Some items of Royal Lace are also included: a piece of black chantilly lace from a gown worn by Queen Victoria, a piece of tulle from the wedding veil of the Princess of Wales, and a lace souvenir for the Coronation of Edward VII that never took place. Wedding dresses are also included. One is a dress worn by the first school teacher in Hyden in the mid 1930s, Miss Lola Woolcott; another is a WA Fashion Award-winning pure wool dress designed and knitted by local resident Carlia Mouritz. This collection is thought to be the largest private collection of lace in Australia. It was previously owned by Margaret Blackburn. The Curator is Olwyn Scott, and the collection is open 9.00am to 5.00pm daily.