About
The Goldsmiths Textile Collection & Constance Howard Gallery, housed in the basement of Goldsmiths, University of London's historic Deptford Town Hall building, holds more than 4,000 textile and print objects alongside a substantial archive of related material, forming one of the more significant specialist textile collections attached to a British art school. The collection's name honours Constance Howard, the influential textile artist and educator who taught at Goldsmiths for several decades and shaped the study of embroidery and textile art as a serious contemporary art form rather than merely a craft or decorative practice.
A large part of the holdings derives from Howard's own personal collection, gathered across a career that established Goldsmiths as a leading centre for textile art education in Britain, and the gallery continues to reflect her particular influence on how textiles are studied, taught, and exhibited within a fine art context. The gallery hosts a regular programme of exhibitions open to staff, students, external artists, researchers, and members of the public, presenting both historic material from the permanent collection and contemporary textile and print-based work, maintaining Howard's original vision of textiles as a legitimate and evolving artistic medium.
The gallery's location within Deptford Town Hall, a distinctive early 20th-century civic building now absorbed into the Goldsmiths campus, gives it an unusual and atmospheric setting compared to more conventional purpose-built university gallery spaces. Open weekday afternoons and free to visit, the gallery also runs the annual Christine Risley Award, recognising innovative and practice-based textile work by Goldsmiths students, keeping the collection connected to the next generation of textile artists working in the tradition Constance Howard helped establish. Researchers and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines beyond textiles alone — including anthropology, theatre and performance, cultural studies, and history — draw on the collection, reflecting how thoroughly textile and print-based material can intersect with wider fields of academic and creative enquiry.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check current exhibition details and confirm opening before visiting, particularly outside term time, as the gallery is a small, actively used university space.
- Textile and print art enthusiasts will find particular value here given the collection's specialist focus and Constance Howard's significant historical role in the field.
- The gallery's afternoon-only weekday hours mean a morning visit isn't possible — plan accordingly.
- Combine your visit with wider exploration of the Goldsmiths campus and New Cross area, an area with a strong contemporary art and music scene connected to the college.
- Free entry makes this an easy addition to a wider day exploring South East London's art scene.
- Deptford Town Hall's own architectural history is worth a moment's appreciation alongside the gallery's collection.
Highlights
Constance Howard's Personal Collection
A significant part of the collection derives directly from the personal holdings of Constance Howard, the influential textile artist and educator who taught at Goldsmiths for several decades and was instrumental in establishing embroidery and textile art as a serious contemporary art form studied within a fine art curriculum rather than treated as a purely decorative craft.
Over 4,000 Textile and Print Objects
The collection encompasses more than 4,000 textile and print objects, alongside substantial archival material, making it one of the more significant specialist textile collections held by any British art school and a valuable resource for researchers and students of textile art history and practice.
Deptford Town Hall Setting
The gallery's location in the basement of Deptford Town Hall, a distinctive early 20th-century civic building later absorbed into the Goldsmiths campus, gives it an atmospheric and historically layered setting quite different from a purpose-built modern gallery space, reflecting the building's own transition from municipal to educational use.
The Christine Risley Award
The gallery presents the annual Christine Risley Award, a £500 cash prize recognising innovative and practice-based work within textiles by Goldsmiths students, keeping the collection actively connected to the next generation of textile artists working within the tradition Constance Howard helped establish decades earlier.
Collections
The Goldsmiths Textile Collection holds more than 4,000 textile and print objects and related archival material, built significantly around the personal collection of textile artist and Goldsmiths educator Constance Howard. The collection spans historic and contemporary textile and print-based art, reflecting Howard's influential role in establishing textile art as a serious contemporary art discipline.
Housed in the Constance Howard Gallery within Deptford Town Hall, the collection supports both a public exhibition programme and academic research and teaching within Goldsmiths' art and design curriculum, with the annual Christine Risley Award connecting the collection to current student practice.
The Constance Howard Collection
Historic textile and print works drawn from Constance Howard's own personal collection, reflecting her influence on textile art education at Goldsmiths.
Contemporary Textile Practice
A rotating display connecting the historic collection to current textile and print-based art practice by contemporary artists and Goldsmiths students.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
