Annabel Westman is Executive Director of The Attingham Trust for the study of historic houses and collections and has a distinguished reputation as an independent textile historian and consultant. Since 1980, she has specialised in the reinstallation of historic interiors for heritage bodies, such as the National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Royal Palaces, private houses and museums, carrying out extensive archival research and advising on numerous projects through to completion. Schemes have included the restoration of beds, window curtains, wall hangings and carpets on which she has published and lectured widely. She is a trustee of Stowe House Preservation Trust and was appointed a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1997.
an extraordinary work of dedicated scholarship ... this book is an essential one for the library of anyone with a serious interest in country-house decoration. -- Jeremy Musson * Country Life * Lavishly illustrated, with fascinating tales ... [Westman] paints a vivid picture of how trimmings evolved throughout different ages and styles. * The English Home * ...a triumph of research, textual and visual, with a sustained attention to detail. Richly illustrated and packed with information, it looks set to become the standard text in its field. -- Christopher Stocks * House & Garden * '...simultaneously highly erudite and richly luxurious...' -- Michael Hall * The Victorian * This is a sumptuous book, which traces the history of trimmings for furnishing and interior decoration in Britain and Ireland, ... lavishly illustrated with new colour photography and impregnated with sound scholarship from the leading expert in the field. -- Lisa White * The Furniture History Society * The book is a physical and beautifully visual distillation of Westman's knowledge, with lavish illustrations, frequently extending over two pages...a glorious, detailed and readable study... an invaluable tool to rediscover lost decoration. * The Georgian *