Roses, Lace & Lingerie

‘Roses, Lace &  Lingerie’: A shared history of the Garvaghy Road, Portadown, Northern Ireland was created by Lesley Yendell and Gwen Stevenson with former employees, directors and with former employees, directors and friends of  McGredy Roses, Ulster Laces and the Mayfair Factory who worked in these industries prior to and during decades of conflict. It celebrates and is drawn from the shared memories and heart-warming stories of some of the Portadown.

‘Roses, Lace &  Lingerie’  an ideal subject to bring Artist and Community together and this shared history project drew its inspiration from Portadown, its inhabitants and its industries.

This project was developed as part of our ‘Re-imaging Craigavon’ programme which aimed to explore the cultural diversity of the Borough and address perceptions about people, places and relationships in the area. The programme placed Artists at the centre of each project and local people engaged in a range of schemes that allowed a different viewpoint to be explored and explained.

Artist Lesley Yendell developed the ‘Roses, Lace and Lingerie’ project in this vein and with film artist Gwen Stevenson, spent time meeting and talking to people who lived through this era, filming interviews and collecting memorabilia. They pulled this material together and created an inspirational exhibition telling stories of work, friendships and memories that were lost when the factories closed down.