This series of brooches explores the history and legend surrounding Haddon Hall, a fortified medieval English manor house, and one of its inhabitants, Dorothy Vernon, who resided there in the 1500’s. Dorothy’s life at Haddon Hall, her forbidden romance and elopement have been captured in both literature and stage performance. Despite literary immortalisation, many details of her life remain un-verifiable, leaving an air of mystery and secrets never to be revealed.
These magnetic brooches use silicone gems, a hidden setting and compartments not easily opened to articulate the strength of secrets when one tries to pry them from history. Like the fortified walls of Haddon Hall, broad expanses of silver provide the canvas for these hidden moments of discovery.