The Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington has launched an exciting new programme of workshops and events for the autumn, ranging from folk music nights, to contemporary art to children’s crafting.
The renowned, award-winning independent museum is a unique surviving example of a 19th century framework knitters’ yard. Restored as a living history museum, it highlights how framework knitters and their families lived and worked here in Victorian times, showcasing a history crucial to Nottingham’s development, from the infamous Luddite riots to the birth of the lace industry.
Last year the Framework Knitters Museum celebrated receiving a major award of £244,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Lottery Fund to secure a sustainable future for the Museum. This funding has improved many areas of the site, as well as enabling opportunities for the Museum to develop a new programme of events to reach out to new visitors.
Highlights for the forthcoming season include:
- A new series of monthly folk nights in the Museum’s Chapel Gallery, including a special Christmas show from renowned cabaret artist Tricity Vogue
- Through the Frame, a new exhibition from Derbyshire based mixed-media artist Jenny Stevenson, exploring Nottingham industrial textile past.
- Halloween Storytelling for families with the Museum’s own dedicated group of trained storytellers.
- Craft workshops for adults and children from creating new wall hangings and visible mending to making paper cottages, plus spooky crafts for Halloween.
David Longford is the new manager for the Framework Knitters Museum, having started in the role in April 2025. As well as the day-to day management of the site, David’s role is to oversee the National Lottery funding and to develop a new events programme. David arrives at the Framework Knitters Museum having previously worked for the National Trust as Programming Manager for the Children’s Country House at Sudbury and for over twenty years was the Creative Learning Manager for the Theatre Royal.
“The Framework Knitters Museum is a small and a vitally important museum, due to the important story we tell for Nottinghamshire”, says David Longford. “My role is to lead our dedicated and talented team of volunteers and staff to highlight our craft and collection, attract new visitors and to generally just shout about the new creative opportunities that we offer. Feedback from all our visitors is universally positive and so we hope our programme will attract an even wider range of people who are new to the Museum to see what we can offer.”
The Museum will soon be promoting its special Christmas activities, and bigger projects for 2026 that will see the Museum hosting a performance world premiere, a potential new partnership with a Nottingham arts venue and a major celebration of May Day.
There’s lots more to come from the Framework Knitters Museum.
For full details of the autumn programme at the Framework Knitters Museum please visit their website at www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk