I’m the ninth generation of my family to be in the lace trade. The Cluny Lace factory, near Nottingham, was built in the 1880s, but we had machines in Ilkeston and Long Eaton before then. By the 1730s ...

The making of lace is one of those things that almost defies belief. The eyesight, the patience and the steady hands that are required almost seem beyond the ken of mere mortals, and the results can ...