Moving story behind a wartime wedding dress

The 1944 wedding was in Winter and the velvet dress is fleece-lined to keep the bride warm.

Now that dress forms the focal point for a Forties tableau that will be the highlight of the 2003 season for Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History.

For the museum, in Manor Gardens, the success of this year's attraction is critical to its future.

Special general meetings of both the costume museum and Bexhill Museum have voted in favour of merger.

The merger is a prerequisite of their joint bid for the Lottery funding needed if plans for a combined museum in a much-extended Egerton Road premises are to come to fruition.

In the meantime, both collections must continue to be presented in cramped conditions.

The wedding dress was donated by Frances Rowlands and was made for a friend who died in Bexhill in 2001.

Frances has created the bride's bouquet and the tableau is completed by a family group in Forties costume.

Costume Museum chairman Pauline Bullock said: "For 2003 we are having far more clothing on display of a period that people will remember."

Smoothing down a full-skirted Fifties Summer dress, she said: "A group of us have been working through the Winter again to prepare this season's display.

"Both museums have voted in favour of merger. This was to have taken effect on April 1 but that depends on the official paperwork which has to go through both the Charity Commissioners and Companies House.

"I think we have an exciting future ahead of us by working as one but there is still that little cloud over us over how much money we will be getting in order to achieve it.

"It is an exciting project. But it is a big upheaval and a culture-change for both museums.

"For Bexhill regeneration purpose, a big combined museum near the seafront for people to go to must be an advantage to the town.

"I would like to make my usual plea for helpers here. We would very much like to have them as it is important that we keep our visitor numbers as high as possible as the Lottery people and SEEDA will be examining them closely.

"We can get 3,000 visitors here in a typical season.

"People are very good about donating costumes which would be wonderful if only we had room because now is the time to collect them.

"But we have no space here. We are right up to the ceiling..."

Bexhill Museum Association chairman Megan Traice said: "We are delighted that as a result of the special general meetings we are now one organisation.

"We are very much looking forward to providing a better museum service for Bexhill with the collections we have got as a single entity.

"It really is a huge step forward in both our histories."