Elizabeth I knew that fashion was part of power. Her image was vital to her rule and the Tudor queen’s wardrobe was expensive and extensive. But time leaves everything moth-eaten and only one dress survives. Now it will be appearing in public once again.
The Bacton Altar Cloth will be on show for only the second time since it re-emerged in the last decade when it is put on display at the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London next week. It will appear alongside other items belonging to Queen Mary of Teck and Elizabeth II.
The cloth is woven with silver, meaning that it could only have been worn by someone of high enough standing to have been at the English court. Some
