Rushden Research Group: Doreen Perkins

From a Scrapbook kept by Doreen in the 1950s and 1960s

Doreen Perkins

Lacemaker and artist

Doreen Perkins learned the first steps of pillow-lace from Mrs Eilliot of 188 Wellingborough Road, Rushden, who had first learned at Olney Lace School, now the Cowper Museum.

The next steps were at Addington Lace School, where Mrs Wilding was teaching the craft. In the 1950s she was living at 90 High Street, when she gave an informative talk on the craft to the Rotary Club, in 1952.


Mrs Perkins with her pillow-lace 1952	and with her paint box 1954

No 90 with the double blinds next to No 86-88 High Street.
86-88 demolished soon after this picture - was formerly
Seckington's Seeds and Nursery, then H W Jackson's, and
he afterwards moved to 76 High Street.

Rushden Echo & Argus, June 18^th 1954

She captures beauty with paint and a brush

The Perkins’s of 90 High Street, Rushden, are very fond of flowers. Mr F S Perkins spends his spare time in his garden cultivating flowers, while his wife Doreen paints them—on canvas.

Mrs Perkins has dabbled with a paint brush for many years, but has only taken up painting as a serious hobby since the war.

Recently, in an effort to find out the true standard of her work, she submitted two water-colours to the Society of Women Artists for inclusion in the 93^rd annual exhibition in London.

One of those pictures has been accepted, and is showing at the exhibition, which opened on Saturday.

Famous names

But painting is not Mrs Perkins’ only hobby. She makes fine pillow lace, and at present some of her work is on show at an exhibition in London too.

Mrs Perkins’ painting is alongside the work of such famous women artists as Dame Laura Knight, D.B.E., R.A., the president of the society, Dorothea Sharp, Helen Stuart Weir, A K Browning, and many others.

Flower study

A member of Kettering and District Art Society, Mrs Perkins has shown her pictures at local exhibition, but has never shown one in London before.

Last month however, she had one of her pictures reproduced in “The Artist.” It was a study of hydrangeas and fuchsias.

In the criticism it was described as a “pleasant painting.”

And the criticism added: “As for the flowers themselves, they have been artistically handled, they have a unity of tone . . .”

‘Lovely presents’

“I sat in the garden and painted them,” says Mrs Perkins. “Then I painted in the vase afterwards.”

From the pictures hanging on the walls of her house, it is obvious that Mrs Perkins likes to paint roses, but her husband prefers to grow sweet peas and chrysanthemums.

What does she do with her paintings?” Well, she gives some of them to her friends. “Yes,” she laughs, “I think they have all suffered at one time or another.”

Mrs Perkins was wearing a pretty brooch of white daisies in a blue bowl, which she painted herself.

“I make all sorts of brooches to match my frocks,” she said. “They make such lovely Christmas presents too.”

A watercolour by Doreen Perkins entitled
"Jackson's Potting Shed 1950 behind the
'Chocolate Box', High Street."

Extract from 1000 Years of Rushden August 1956:

A resident of Rushden since 1900 and for many years proprietress of the High Street sweet shop “The Chocolate Box”, Mrs Frances Tomlinson, died aged 84.

Mrs Tomlinson's shop at 88-90 High Street and was listed in Kelly's Directory 1940.

The land behind had been Jonathan Seckington's nursery ground and his shop was at 86 High Street. So perhaps Mr Jackson had the nursery land with the shed already erected by Mr Seckington or his son?

Mrs Alice Goh (Singapore)
B Myindar
K Asifah (Pakistan)
F Shasha (Iraq)
Andul Aiy
B Myifor
(Mr & Mrs)
Eileen Armstrong (Trinidad)
… Bradford
… ... (Grenada)
D Childs
M ….
H Singh (Br. Guiana)
F A Noel (do.)
… … (India)
‘Shamand’ (Malaya)
K Hazar..singh Manntus
A Gill (London)
F R Dale
R M ...

Captioned “These were Students from Knuston Hall.

In 1955 Doreen was teaching at Irchester Evening Institute at the County Mixed School, on Monday evenings from 7 till 9pm.

The fees were 25/- for 24 sessions.

This letter was sent by J A Neville-Kaye of the University of London Institute of Education, on 11^th May 1956.

It reads:

Dear Mrs Perkins,

Naturally, since I have become your newest student I have been asked to thank you for your hospitality to us in your pillow lace class last Monday evening. We all enjoyed it enormously, and as you have seen — it has had results.

And all or most of the students signed the letter.

Rushden Echo & Argus, 28^th November 1958

Pillow Lace Revival — Students at one of Rushden’s newest Evening Institute classes bring their lace-making pillows together for a check-up by Mrs Doreen Perkins, seated in the centre of the group below. Some have been taking the first tricky steps, others with more experience are confidently making Christmas presents for their friends, and all are agreed that the old craft, once so flourishing in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, is worthy of revival to which they are contributing.
Class at the Secondary Modern School premises in Highfield Road on Tuesday.

l-r: Mrs Marjorie Garley, W’boro Rd, Mrs Wagstaffe, Higham Ferrers,
Mrs Betty Knight, Higham Ferrers, Mrs Elsie Gomm, 80 Irchester Rd, Rushden,
Mrs Myrtle Mackness, Higham Ferrers,
Miss Mary Dunkley,Rushden (later married Ken Smith), Mrs Jones, Rushden,
Centre, Mrs Doreen Perkins, Back view Miss Gwen Kenjon, Higham Ferrers

Mrs A Ward of Rushden

In September 1963 the newspaper reported that the Evening Institute classes for hobbies were now being held at 5 schools to accommodate to students. Classes held had increased from 7 to 18.

In charge of the pillow lace classes was Mrs Doreen Perkins, and she said that as many as 146 bobbins had been used by one of her students.

A Festival of History was held at Higham in July 1964.
Exhibits at the Bedehouse to raise funds for the building repairs.

l-r: Mrs Hall, Doreen Perkins, Mrs Hewitt making lace at Higham Festival

Classes continued until 1965 when the R & HF Evening Institute celebrated 70 years.