19th Century history, History of Parliament Trust, Victorian Commons

From Parliament to Fancy Dress: the life story of an MP’s court dress

In this guest blog, originally posted on the Victorian Commons blog page, Henrietta Lockhart, Curator of Museum Collections at Winterbourne House and Garden, at the University of Birmingham, tells the story of a unique piece of costume once owned and worn by the 19th century MP, Edward Strutt (1801-80).

Picture of a restored suit. A torso mannequin is dressed with short navy trousers, a gold waistcoat, white shirt with large collar ruff and frilled cuffs, and an embroidered navy jacket. Floral embroidery is on the cuffs and edge of the jacket. The mannequin is in a glass display cabinet and there is floral wallpaper behind it.
The Strutt suit (presented by the heirs of Sam Kenrick);
all images of the suit are courtesy of Winterbourne House and Garden

At Winterbourne House and Garden in Edgbaston, Birmingham, visitors can now enjoy a striking exhibit: the court dress of Edward Strutt MP (later 1st Baron Belper), who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from January 1853 to June 1854. This magnificent costume went on display in March 2024, following a major conservation project.

Photograph of Winterbourne House. A red brick building is surrounded by greenery and flowers. there are two benches in from of the house and a path winds around it.
Winterbourne House and Garden (photo Joe Wainwright)

At face value, this extraordinary set of garments has little connection with Winterbourne’s story. Designed by J. L. Ball in Arts & Crafts style, the house was built for the Nettlefold family in 1904. John Sutton Nettlefold was born into the Nettlefold screw-making dynasty, which in 1900 became part of GKN (Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds). His passion was social reform, particularly housing and town planning, and he served on Birmingham City Council for many years. His wife Margaret Chamberlain was a talented amateur artist and engaged in philanthropic work. Her uncle was Joseph Chamberlain, Mayor of Birmingham, a Birmingham MP (1876-1914) and later Secretary of State for the Colonies. John and Margaret were second cousins.

Two sepia toned photographs of John and Margaret Nettlefold. On the left John is seated, he is wearing a woolen suit and waistcoat, a white shirt and tie. Margaret is on the right, looking in the opposite direction. She has a lace collar at her neck and her hair is pinned up on her head.
John Sutton Nettlefold, around 1890; Margaret Nettlefold (née Chamberlain), 1888

A few years ago David Kenrick, a great-nephew of John Sutton Nettlefold, offered Winterbourne a piece of costume which had been in the family since the 19th century. David had no idea why the suit was in the family’s possession, or indeed what it was; it had generally been assumed to be French and from the 18th century.  The Nettlefolds had certainly owned it since around 1890, as there were photographs of Hugh Nettlefold (John Nettlefold’s brother) wearing it to a fancy dress ball. Hearing David describing this set of objects on the phone, I very quickly made the decision to accept the donation…

Click the link below to read the rest of the post on the Victorian Commons blog page and see the suit in closer detail...

From Parliament to Fancy Dress: the life story of an MP’s court dress

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