About Us

Alan and Vanessa Hopkins have been collecting historical clothing, textiles, and accessories in the United Kingdom for more than fifty years. Their Collection spans a period from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries and includes items representing all social classes, although as poorer people wore out their clothes, the bulk of the Collection is inevitably from the better off part of society. Many items have only survived because they had been kept for dressing up or amateur dramatics, which invariably involved alterations and some damage.

You can now view some of the collection online at The Hopkins Costume Trust main website.

Alan and Vanessa have also published a series of books exploring different parts of the collection. The books are available to purchase online via this website.