Formation | 1921 |
---|---|
Defunct | 1985 |
Type | Craft organisation |
Purpose | To promote the importance of craftwork in modern society[1] |
Headquarters | The Whitworth, Manchester |
Region served | UK |
Leader | Margaret Pilkington OBE |
Affiliations | Crafts Centre of Great Britain |
The Red Rose Guild was a guild based in Manchester, with the aim to promote British arts and crafts.[2] It was “regarded as the most influential national outlet for makers”[3] in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century. The Guild was founded in 1921 by printmaker Margaret Pilkington, OBE, and remained active until 1985.[4] The Guild held annual exhibitions at Houldsworth Hall, part of what is now Hulme Hall, Manchester until World War II. Prominent members of the Guild included potter Bernard Leach,[5] silversmith Joyce Himsworth[6] and weaver Ethel Mairet.[7] After the war, the Guild moved its headquarters to Whitworth Hall. In 1950 the Guild joined the Crafts Centre of Great Britain.[8]