A memory of how it used to be: Drawers, bloomers or knickers.

Two pairs of Victorian drawers illustrating the development of women’s underwear and marking the beginning of Market Lavington museum.

Before the 1800s polite women went commando. However, as crinoline dresses became fashionable women wanted warmth and protection against embarrassing exposure.

The first undergarments were called drawers because they were drawn into the body. They usually consisted of two separate legs held together by buttons or laces. These often fell off one at a time.

Elastic had not been invented so the drawers were tied on and therefore not easy to remove.

The falling flap or trapdoor was a later development to further improve modesty. During the First World War women did more physical work and started to wear more utilitarian garments such as loose trousers and boiler suits.

By the end of World War 1 open crotch knickers were on their way out as skirts became shorter and dancing wilder.

Peggy Gye lived in Market Lavington all her life and she was a natural collector of everything. She found these knickers left over at the end of a jumble sale. She couldn’t bear to see them thrown away so she took them home. Her husband told her that if she was going to carry on collecting she needed to start a museum to put everything into. This is precisely what she did and Market Lavington Museum was born.