Victorian Skirt Lifter

The advent of the skirt lifter in 1846 was met with immediate success, this device usually made of brass, appeared as a pair of tongs with a locking mechanism. The skirt lifter had circular padded grips that held a chunk of material of the skirt up, the lifter was then connected to the belt at waist level via a chain or cord. This creation allowed women to be more active in their lives even getting involved in sports like tennis and badminton.

Eventually, crinoline frames were invented that allowed worn skirts to be significantly lighter, these honeycomb-shaped structures supported the topmost layers of the outfit making the need for several layers of petticoats redundant.

Display case at the National Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes.

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Photos: – Geoff Hinder                                                         Click on images to enlarge

Visit the  National Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – the National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

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National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel

For more information and to book a room go to: – Badminton England website – https://www.badmintonengland.co.uk  –  National Badminton Centre  – National Badminton Centre Hotel.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the National Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the National Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.