Gallery of Costume

The Gallery of Costume is housed in the elegant surroundings of Platt Hall, an 18th century textile merchant's home in Platt Fields Park. It is one of the largest collections of clothing and fashion accessories in Britain, containing over 20,000 items.

The collection contains clothes worn by men, women and children from the 17th century to the present day. Many of the clothes represent high fashion of the day. Other, much rarer items represent the basic but equally interesting dress of working people, such as the clogs and shawls of Lancashire weavers.

The Gallery continues to collect all kinds of clothes worn by people in Britain, including contemporary designer wear, sports and leisure clothes, underwear and the fashions of Manchester's South Asian communities.