Take a look in your wardrobe. What stories could your clothes tell you about you and your life − say 100 years from now?  

It’s the same with historic costumes like those at Rouse Hill House & Farm where, against all odds, hundreds of garments and accessories belonging to generations of Rouses and Terrys give us a window into life from the mid 19th to late 20th centuries. The clothes give clues to their owners’ stories, great snapshots of past fashions and nosy insights into the everyday.  

Close examination of a gorgeous red bodice worn by Bessie Rouse (1843-1924) in the 1870s shows it was re-fashioned with new sleeves a few years later. Did Bessie spill something, scorch her sleeve on a candle, or simply do the customary style update without splashing out?  

Gents’ frock coats tell another story; dating from 1870 to 1910 they show little change in style over 40 years.