On Saturday (7th March 2025) I had the pleasure of visiting Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire. Despite growing up just half an hour away from the castle, I have never had chance to visit and moving to the Isle of Wight naturally made visiting trickier to arrange. However, in January I heard about the castle’s temporary exhibition, ‘Threads of Victoria’ and knew that I must visit.
📸 © Queen.Victoria.Roses / Shannon McInulty
A collaborative exhibition between Tamworth Castle and South Staffordshire College, the exhibition comprises 20 garments, which have been inspired by outfits worn by Queen Victoria during her visit to Tamworth in 1843. While there are a few contemporary descriptions of the Queen’s clothing during this time, none of the dresses are believed to still exist. However, tucked in the collection of Tamworth Castle are a selection of fabric samples, which are associated with the dresses worn by the Queen. To make things easier many of the scraps, which were donated by a direct descendent of the Queen’s dressmaker, have the original handwritten labels noting the occasion they were made for and who the Queen was scheduled to meet that day.
Queen Victoria’s visit to Tamworth began on 28th November 1843 when she left Windsor Castle with her beloved husband, Prince Albert, and members of her household. Totalling six hours, their journey mostly consisted of travel by train, a mode of transport that Victoria had used for the first time earlier that year. Despite some early fears over the effects trains could have on the human body, Queen Victoria was captivated by its efficiency. At a quarter to three in the afternoon, the Queen and her large entourage arrived at Tamworth Station, where they were greeted by Sir Robert Peel, his son, the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Talbot and other members of the local gentry.
Wearing ‘a black velvet pelisse, and an open-work straw bonnet with black trimmings’ (1), the Queen and Prince Albert transferred from their train carriage and into an open landau. Escorted by the Staffordshire Yeomanry, the Queen’s carriage led the procession through the busy streets of Tamworth, followed by her household in a second carriage and the noblemen riding on horseback. As they went along, crowds of locals cheered with enthusiasm towards the Queen’s arrival. After all, a reigning sovereign hadn’t visited the town since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when she had visited the Earl of Essex at Drayton Bassett, now known as Drayton Manor. Ironically, this was where Victoria was headed with her host, Sir Robert Peel.
The celebration of Victoria’s arrival wasn’t just heard from those that had gathered, it was also visible from every possible angle. Floral decorations, fabric drapery and four elaborate arches had been put up along the main route for the Queen to pass through, with the Saint James’s Chronicle recording how there ‘was scarcely a house that was not garlanded or hung with evergreens’. At the end of the procession through the town was ‘a large triumphal arch’ (2), where the Queen was greeted by the local Mayor and corporation, who, ‘according to ancient custom, presented the mace and other insignia of office’ (3) along with giving an address to the Queen and Prince. Then, the three mile procession to Drayton Manor resumed.
© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust RCIN 920167
Upon arriving at the Manor, Queen Victoria was greeted by Lady Peel and the Duchess of Buccleuch, who took her into the Drawing Room for some Soup before showing the couple the rooms in which they would be staying. ‘[Drayton Manor] is a fine, simple house in the plain Elizabethan style… There is a fine Gallery, into which all the rooms open’ wrote the Queen, adding that her rooms were ‘extremely comfortable & pretty, comprising a cheerful sitting room, bedroom & 2 dressing rooms’ (4). In one of those well prepared dressing rooms Victoria carefully got ready for her first dinner in Robert Peel’s home. Led in on the arm of her host, Victoria entered dinner in ‘a rich broche pink silk and satin dress with rich lace, adorned with a profusion of diamonds and emeralds’ (5), with the addition of the insignia of the Order of the Garter. While I cannot be certain of its connection, this description appears incredibly similar to George Koberwein’s 1865 portrait of the Queen, which survives in the Royal Collection and is currently on display in the Jewel Room at Kensington Palace. The painting is said to be a copy of Winterhalter’s 1852 portrait of the Queen, which was commissioned as a gift to Baron Stockmar. Either way, could this ‘rich pink silk’ be the product which led to the pink sample which is now in the collection of Tamworth Castle? (This can be seen in the bundle of sample fabrics numbered 8)
With luxurious dinners held every evening, it’s no surprise that the Queen needed so many fashionable gowns. According to the Weekly Chronicles (London), Victoria attended her third dinner at Drayton Manor on 30th November wearing ‘a blue watered satin dress, with wide flounces of lace. Her Majesty’s head-dress was a wreath of flowers and ornaments of diamonds and rubies’ (6), once again this was worn with the Order of the Garter. Whilst I still cannot be certain, it does appear likely that the blue silk mentioned could be the same as the piece included in either bundle 6 or 7 in the Castle’s collection.
On 1st December Queen Victoria and her fanfare returned to Tamworth where they were to catch the train to Chesterfield for her onward journey to Chatsworth House. While Victoria herself never visited the ‘curious old tower, which now belongs to the Townshend family’ (7) – AKA Tamworth Castle – her presence in the town, no matter how temporary, encouraged a variety of events for locals to enjoy. Upon her arrival a Royal Salute had been held on the Castle’s Green, while the Royal Standard flew from its turret. In addition to this, a firework display had been held on the first evening, with a large community banquet held in the Town Hall the day after her arrival. On top of this, throughout her stay, food was provided for over 2,000 poor people who lived in Tamworth and all adjoining parishes.
Learning about history is always fascinating, especially when it comes to discovering detailed contemporary accounts of events. Whilst many of Victoria’s glamorous dresses have been lost to time, we can be grateful that small fragments like the ones at Tamworth Castle still exist. What makes their current exhibition ‘Threads of Victoria’ even more special is seeing how these rare survivals from Victoria’s visit have inspired the fashion and textile students from South Staffordshire College to make the unique gowns that we see on display today. Unfortunately ‘Threads of Victoria’ is a temporary exhibition and will be ending on Sunday 29th March 2026 so you don’t have long to see it. However, Tamworth Castle dates back to the Norman Conquest and has plenty of history for you to discover. As I was walking around I was impressed at how the castle has been presented, with each part of the building representing a different era of its history. There is also plenty of information for adults to read as they walk around, with an admirable amount of activities to keep children occupied and engaged.
© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026
Citation:
(1,3) ‘The Royal Progress To Drayton Manor’, Newcastle Courant, 1 December 1843, p. 7. The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) [accessed 10 March 2026]
(2,4,7) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 28 November 1843 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 10 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III
(5) ‘Arrival of Her Majesty At Tamworth’, Saint James’s Chronicle, 30 November 1843, p. 3. The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) [accessed 10 March 2026]
(6) ‘The Royal Progress To Drayton Manor’, Weekly Chronicles (London), 3 December 1843, p. 2. The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) [accessed 10 March 2026]
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