Costumes worn by Victorian actor Ellen Terry to go on display in former Kent home

Costumes worn by Victorian actor Ellen Terry will be displayed for the first time at her former home in Kent.

The costumes – which she wore in the 1882 production of Much Ado About Nothing – will be displayed alongside other memorabilia from the show, including her script, with her handwritten notes in the margins, and an original programme.

They are to be displayed in Smallhythe Place in Kent, cared for by the National Trust.

The display comes as actress Joanna Lumley becomes patron of the property’s Barn Theatre, which was created in the grounds by Terry’s daughter in 1929, following her mother’s death.

Susannah Mayor, senior house steward, said: “Ellen was a megastar in her time, mobbed by fans wherever she went, receiving the kind of adulation that is more commonly associated years later with the great names of Hollywood.”

She added: “Her stage costumes were a vital part of that process, and she was closely involved in their design, seeing them as integral to evoking the personalities of the women she was portraying.”

The costumes are being displayed after 15 years in storage.

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