Marjory Carter, of the Lace Making Society, shared her 80 years' knowledge of lace making with the friends, who were fascinated and amazed by her skills and beautiful display of articles on show which were greatly admired.

Lace making came to England with the Flemish and French refugees more than 400 years ago.

They settled along the Rivers Ouse and Nene in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire and, later, in Nottingham and Northamptonshire.

The lace was made on pillows filled with straw. The bobbins were decorated with verses and texts, dates of birth, marriages and deaths and even murders and suicides.

In Victorian times, children to old women made lace in terrible conditions at 18d per yard. The lace was used for cuffs, collars, handkerchiefs, tablecloths, chairbacks and many other things.

Marjory demonstrated bobbin lace using her Swedish pillow, while members gathered round to see how she used the pricked pattern and pins to achieve the desired result - a beautiful piece of torchon lace.

There are many kinds of lace but Buckingham lace is the most beautiful and the most difficult.

She was thanked by the chairman Harry Hodgson.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 20, when historian Ralph Richardson will speak on Richard III.

Visitors are welcome to come along to the restaurant at Coughton Court to hear him.

New members are always welcome.