Hairwork is the almost forgotten craft of manipulating human hair into decorative designs for jewellery or artwork. Some are purely ornamental, others for commemoration, but always imbued with meaning, folklore and ritual significance.

Today, there are only a handful of artisans who continue to practice traditional hairwork worldwide. However, until the late nineteenth century, disembodied hair was regarded as a very precious material, with hairwork being a cherished folk art of the middle and upper classes. 

Abney Park itself is part of this story. As one of the Magnificent Seven — the large, private garden cemeteries opened between 1830 and 1841 to ease overcrowding in London's inner-city churchyards — Abney Park drew the dead further from their families than ever before. Hairwork offered a solution allowing the living to keep a loved one close; a hair lock was seen as a portable human relic, maintaining an earthly bond with the departed within the process of mourning. 

Join us for a lecture exploring four distinct hairwork techniques from the Georgian and Victorian eras, examining their applications for the deceased, the living, or both, and the cultural contexts that shaped them.

For more information:‍ ‍‍ Please visit https://abneypark.org/upcoming-events/2026/8/31/forever-near-a-history-of-hairwork to buy tickets for this event.