Dream turns to nightmare as heirloom wedding dress goes missing
150-year-old garment made by bride’s great great grandmother disappears when dry cleaners goes bankrupt
When bride Tess Newall lovingly put on the 150-year-old wedding dress made by her great great grandmother – it was the final piece of her perfect day
But now Tess has told how that dream has “turned into a nightmare” after a Capital dry cleaners went bust and the heirloom disappeared.
Now heartbroken Tess has made an emotional plea for help in tracing the treasured dress.
“It was so amazing and emotional to wear it,” said Tess, 29. “And so horrible to lose it. It’s part of the family and I can’t bear for this to be the end.”
Tess found the dress in the attic of grandmother Jojo’s Morningside home after breaking the news of her engagement last September.
“Jojo told me she might have a dress for me,” recalled Tess. “I went looking in the attic and there among boxes of buttons was a big hatbox.
“It was so dusty and covered in cobwebs. It must’ve been there for at least 50 years.” Inside the box, Tess found the dress – along with a veil the family still have – made by great great grandmother Dora Torin in 1870.
“It’s the most beautiful handmade, Edwardian lace,” said Tess, recalling the moment she saw the dress for the first time.
Tess, a freelance set designer, made some minor alterations at her London home.
“It wasn’t completely white so I got it cleaned and slightly altered it because it didn’t suit me. I went and found a few little pieces to add to it. It was unique.”
The dress came with Tess and husband Alfred, 30, for a wedding service and reception in the village of Morham, near Haddington, where Tess grew up.
“It was just am amazing day,” said Tess, who attended Cargilfield Preparatory School. “It had a real old-fashioned feel to it as we walked down to the kirk across fields.”
The newlyweds set off for a driving honeymoon around France, while mother Sally Oyler and father Patrick Gammell, who still live at Morham, dropped off the dress for cleaning.
Mr Gammell, Vice Lordlieutenant of East Lothian, chose Kleen Cleaners in St Mary’s Street because it had a Royal Warrant. But unbeknown to the family, the business had changed hands and the new owners went bust in October.
Despite frantically trying to track down the dress and retaining a cleaning receipt for £110, Tess and her family are none the wiser as to its whereabouts.
“My mum was in tears when she told me,” said Tess.
“If it’s anywhere, it’ll be in a vintage wedding dress fair. I have cousins who might want to wear it and maybe my own children and grandchildren.”