Today_s_Quilter_-_November_2019

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T

hefirstwomantobeelectedasMayorof

ActoninLondon(1924),andtheperson

thatwemustthankfortheacquisition

of theActonTop(left)byGunnersburyPark

Museum,is SusanSmee(1859-1949).A prominent

residentwhohasbeencalleda ‘trailblazer'and

the'FirstLadyof Acton',SusanSmeewasthefirst

womantorunforlocalcouncil,andthefirstfemale

magistrateat theActonSessionsCourt– shewas

alsoactiveineducationandpublichealth.Oneof

thedrivingforcesbehindtheestablishmentof the

museumin 1929 andtheHonoraryCuratoruntil

themuseumclosedinWWII,shewasresponsible

forbuildinganeclecticcollectionthatcomprised

Victoriancostumes,quilts,archaeology,glass

bottles,toys,paintings,printsandephemera.Miss

Smeealsomadeherowndonations,including

a PedlarDollfrom 1810 displayinga portable

haberdasheryof fiftyminiaturewaresforsalethat

wouldmakemostquiltersswoon– featuring fans,

scissors, pincushions and more.

QUILTING COLLECTION l g u n n e rsb u r y p a rk m u se u m

Lefttop,Cllr

SusanSmee

photographed

attheopening

ofGunnersbury

Park;Topright

andbelow

right,TheActon

Topfeatures

contemporary

figuresin

Regency

dress,Biblical

scenes,animals

andplants;

Belowleft,

Gunnersbury

ParkMuseum

is situatedin

a Georgian

mansionatthe

centreofthe 75

hectare estate

Theearlycollectionis mostcertainlya

reflectionof MsSmee’sinterests,aswellasher

variedandwidereachingroleswithinthelocal

community,andhasresultedina uniqueand

fascinatingmiscellanyof objectsthatrecordthe

historyof westLondonanditspeople.Overthe

years,thecollectionhasgrowntohouseover

40,000objectsfromPalaeolithicflinttools,

itemsrelatingtothecelebratedEalingStudios,

anddesignsbyBrentford-basedtextiledesigner

JoyceClissold.Themuseumevenhastheiconic

Lucozadesignthatpunctuatedmotorists'journeys

ontheM4,nowpermanentlyilluminatingits

mainlobby.It’sonlyfittingthat,asthemuseum

celebratesits90thbirthday,theActonTop,oneof

the first acquisitions, is making an appearance.

TreasuredT hreads

Until12thJanuary2020,theActonTop,together

withotherhistoricquiltsfromthemuseum’s

collection, will go on display in a small but