Our Landmark New Collection

Delight in simple pleasures

You could call this a collaboration, but we see it more of a meeting of minds – two organisations with the same vision to honour and preserve our nation’s heritage and crafts while developing people with the skills needed to protect them. The ultimate aspiration for both: to deliver beautiful results without complication.

Comprising 34 fabrics and eight braids, the 1485 collection by Ian Mankin is inspired by The Landmark Trust’s UK buildings built between 1485 and 1603. Taking our cues from architectural details or treasures unearthed during the sensitive restoration of these remarkable historic buildings, we breathe life into the original patterns and motifs, giving them renewed purpose in beautifully woven textiles and home accessories.

With every purchase from this collection, we will be contributing to this amazing conservation charity to ensure that their hugely important work can forge ahead and that the public can continue to enjoy holidays in extraordinary places.

Sensitively reworked pattern and motif

The Tudor period is renowned for its highly detailed and embellished decoration, exemplified by palaces of the monarchs of the time. The Landmark Trust’s approach, however, is to save smaller, quirkier buildings in danger of being lost from our history and landscape forever and transform them into holiday accommodation. It’s because of this that our latest collection draws inspiration from some rather unconventional places in the Tudor chapter of our nation’s history.

The research process took our design team to some of the UK’s most charming and unusual buildings. They were influenced by original and diverse points of interest, be they rubbings from the timber beams at Parish House in Somerset, or the beautifully ornate brick patterns in the chimney stacks at Methwold Old Vicarage in Norfolk. No stone was left unturned in search of new decoration and motifs to bring this collection to life.

Some patterns are recognisable, such as the classical quatrefoil within the Laughton fabric, which features in a window in the four-storey Tudor tower by the same name in Sussex. While others, such as the detail on the Peake’s Check, are bold reworkings of carvings in the ancient walls of Peake’s House in Essex.

Our signature formal look of structured, classic stripes is blended perfectly with elegant and intriguing details from these buildings, sensitively developed to evoke a feeling of simplicity and authenticity cherished by both brands.

We have eight braids in the 1485 collection that work wonderfully on upholstery projects and as detailing on curtains and blinds. These can be used to great effect as decorative elements on cushions and other soft furnishings.

Working with this collection, you can bridge between bold designs and simple plains with smaller motifs and braids for a well-considered scheme.

Delight in simple pleasures, undisturbed by opulent frivolity or unnecessary adornment

Only natural and recycled yarns are used in Ian Mankin fabrics, and the 1485 collection is no exception. Our ‘1485 Ticking’ and ‘Sackville Stripe’ cotton fabrics are imbued with tactility and richness by the addition of linen. This naturally coarse yarn adds authenticity and texture, softening the edge of designs while gently diffusing colour. These fabrics are crying out to be touched; subtle and lived-in with no shock of the new. They are designed to be comfortable and not unnecessarily adorned – just simple, pure pleasures.

The 1485 collection colours are new to the Ian Mankin palette. Strong, rich hues are carried and softened by neutral bases. Winter skies and comforting melancholy are contrasted by rich and spicy sweetened brown and warming mustard. The combinations deliver a wide variety of looks for both traditional homes and contemporary spaces.

Create your own simple, restorative space with fabrics designed and woven in the UK, safe in the knowledge you are helping to preserve a little bit of our history in a time-honoured and honest way.

To find out more about The Landmark Trust or book a ‘holiday in history’ visit www.landmarktrust.org.uk.