25 January 1961: His passion for costume was a hobby which he pursued with delight and scholarly insight
Dr Cecil Willett Cunnington, who died on Saturday at his home in Essex, aged 82, was an outstanding authority on English costume, and his famous collection of dresses and accessories now forms the basis of the Museum of Costume at Platt Hall, Manchester.
This, built up throughout Dr Cunnington’s life and bought by Manchester Corporation in 1947, with the help of the National Art Collections Fund, was one of two great collections in the country; the other belongs to Mrs Doris Langley Moore, who is seeking a permanent home for it at Bath.