New exhibition at Lisburn's R Space Gallery features McCaw Allan tea towels

In the 18th Century tea towels were companion objects, found alongside the finest chinaware and crystal, designed to match the other table linens.

Fast forward 200 years and the tea towel had become essentially an undervalued yet accessible and ‘democratic’ art form bringing creativity and design into households across Ireland.

Alongside Belfast and Lisburn, Lurgan was one of the leading centres of linen production in Ulster and this exhibition celebrates the work of one Lurgan company in particular. McCaw, Allan & Co Ltd, now part of the Samuel Lamont Group, was founded in 1904, a partnership between Robert Johnston McCaw and Harry Allan.

Artist Robert Peters was introduced to Douglas Mowbray, Purchase Manager in the Lurgan Samuel Lamont Group Factory who showed him a sample of the McCaw Allan tea towels.

This started the tea towel story to present an exhibition reflecting the breadth of tea towel production from the days of the traditional florals of the 60s to the English & Irish Souvenir Tea Towel design of the 70s and the use of the promotional Tea Towels of the 80s.

The exhibition is supported with additional funding kindly provided by the Lurgan Townscape Heritage Scheme toward an accompanying publication researched and written by Fiona McKelvie.

McCaw Allan – a tea towel collection runs from April 22 – May 19 at R-Space Gallery (32 Castle Street, Lisburn) and online via R-Space Social media channels and www.rspacelisburn.com.