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Thanks to
John Heathcoat & Co Ltd
for their support in the refurbishment of the Lace Gallery |
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Heathcoat Gallery
Lace-making and the
Heathcoat patent lace machine |
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| John Heathcoat
was a nineteenth- century inventor, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist who came
to Tiverton in 1816. He pioneered the
process of making machine-made net lace and one of his six-ton machines is the centrepiece
of this display. |
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| Following an
attack by Luddites on his factory in Loughborough he moved his lace-making process to
Tiverton. At a time when factory conditions were poor, his care for his staff caused some
500 men, women and children to walk from Loughborough to form the nucleus of his new
workforce. |
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| Many other machines are on
display plus a brief description of how bobbinet lace is made. A display of
lace items is also to be seen, plus a section about the products of the modern factory. At the end of the display is a photograph of the
late Princess Diana on her wedding day. All the royal wedding veils since
Princess Victoria have been made in Tiverton. |
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