Textile students have designs on dressing up Hexham Abbey

They have been created by sixth form students at Haydon Bridge High School, who have been handed the honour of showing at the first exhibition to take place at the Abbey’s new £3m visitor centre.

Subtly positioned in the halls and stairwells of the priory buildings, are 15 gowns on mannequins which represent a timeline of fashions and literary periods.

The AS and A2 textiles fashion students have been working with former Haydon Bridge pupil Nathan Roberts, now an established fashion designer, whose portfolio of work has been displayed at London Fashion Week.

The current crop of emerging talent responded with outfits based on William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, while others produced ball gowns with a unique twist.

Teacher Anna Coulson said: "This course has been incredibly popular at the school for the past six or seven years, and a lot of our students go on to work in the art industry.

"At present we have about 16 young people who are very talented in fashion design. They have worked extremely hard, and have been rewarded by having their dresses on show at the Abbey.

"It’s an honour for them, and their work really does come to life in such a beautiful and grand environment.

"It prepares them for the world of fashion design. A lot of research goes into the creation of any costume and they have already established critical contacts within the industry.

"The A2 students all do individual research units, which includes writing 3,000 word essays on their topics. There is certainly an academic balance to this."

The inventive costumes include a 1960s floral dress, designed and produced by Olivia Tordoff (18), who used a hula hoop to create a stand-out circular effect.

She said: "I like the patterns of that period and it’s nice to see the dress here. I wanted to do something creative and this course has provided that."

Holly Smith (17) said her dark-coloured dress was themed on a gothic novel. Elegant and stylish, the dress includes beads from an old necklace, and even netting obtained from a garden centre.

Origami and inventive use of fabric enabled Chantelle Wilson (18), to create a striking white gown with prominent black striping, while 17-year-old Amy Richardson made the perfect dress for a "twisted Alice in Wonderland."

Chantelle said: "We really enjoy what we do and I think that helps you to produce your best work. It was inspiring to work with Nathan, and it’s nice to be part of an exhibition at Hexham Abbey."

Haydon Bridge High School students were involved with a previous exhibition at the Abbey two years ago – a Nativity scene of contemporary sculptures – long before the new visitor centre opened.

The Abbey’s volunteer events manager, Jane Musto, said: "This is our first exhibition in the refurbished priory buildings. The work is of a very high standard and the whole point of the new visitor centre is for it to be used by the community. We look forward to welcoming people over the coming weeks."

The month-long exhibition is now under way and is set to run until February 20. Entry is free.

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