In 1889, St Margaret's House opened its doors as one of the world's first women's Settlement Houses, offering subsidised accommodation for working women in the East End. As the home of the Bethnal Green Ladies Committee, St Margaret's House embarked on pioneering social engagement work led by the women who lived there. Over 130 years later, we continue to create innovative work through our Creative Health approach - none of which would be possible without the incredible contributions made by East End women for over a century.
We are on a mission to learn more about our history, and the ways in which St Margaret's House has contributed towards the social make-up of the East End. This workshop is part of a series of events where we use the archive as a source of creative inspiration.
Whether you are a regular participant here at St Margaret's House, a local history enthusiast or a curious creative, we invite you to explore the rich histories held within our archives, uncovering the stories of the last century and giving them new life as we look to fortify our history across the St Margaret's House site. Your explorations will help shape the retelling of our history for decades.
For the second iteration of this workshop, we are delighted to be joined by textile designer and researcher Gina Pierce. Gina has explored our archive and taken inspiration from photographs, motifs and architectural elements of our site to create a series of stencils.
During the workshop, we will learn how to use these to print on tote bags that you can then take home.
No experience needed and all materials are supplied. We use textile dyes, so aprons are provided, but it’s best not to wear your finest clothes.
This workshop is part of our Archive Open Day where you can also attend an historical tour of our site, and see an exhibition of archive materials in The Chapel.
Please see further information about these free events related to our archive on Saturday 12th September:
SMH History Tours - https://www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk/events/smh-history-tours
SMH Archive Exhibition: https://www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk/events/smh-archive-exhibition
About Gina:
Dr Gina Pierce is a textile designer and researcher, with a focus on engaging new audiences for archives. Gina has a PhD from the University for the Creative Arts and MA in Textiles from Central Saint Martins. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University.
Contact: If you have any questions regarding this session, please email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
Venue: The Cabin at St Margaret’s House, 21 Old Ford Road — E2 9PL, London
Access: If you have any access needs of which we should be aware, please get in touch with us on 020 8980 2092 or email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk so we can arrange this for you.
Date: Saturday 12th September
Time: 2-4pm
Ticket: FREE (booking is essential)