Shirley and Harry Gates

Shirley Gates is predominately known for her painted honiton bobbins, based in Devon, many of her customers were honiton lacemakers. However she also painted east midland bobbins and her husband Harry, turned beautifully spliced bobbins with their pointed base here the spangle would go.

Shirley’s painting style often had distinctive white outline to flowers and other subjects and she signed her bobbins S.GATES