Washing Lines

Free exhibition 

St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Oxford

81 West Way, OX2 9JY

29 June — 28 August, 2026

10 AM — 4 PM Monday to Saturday; 12 noon — 4PM on Sunday

To the careful observer, a clothes line can indicate that the household has a preference for an environmentally friendly way of drying the laundry, for freshly aired flannels rather than tumble-dried and chemical-soaked linens. It also signals a determination to reduce the household consumption of electricity.

Once loaded with garments, bedding and towels, a washing line becomes many other things. At its most basic it is a weather vane, indicating the direction and strength of wind, and the judgment that “today is good drying weather”. A washing line also tells us about the people who wear the clothes, who sleep in the sheets. The nature and arrangement of items on the line are barometers of the ages, genders and levels of affluence indoors. They hint at taste, a sense of style and personality and indicate lifestyle – sports gear or dance clothes for the young, gardening clothes and bowls whites for the more mature. Clothes lines can reveal a death in the family, or mark celebrations of important milestones in life. For the prurient, the arrangements of underwear can leave clues as to the living arrangements of those who might wish to preserve their privacy. An empty washing line that remains untouched could be announcing the passing of life.

There will be much for the viewer to interpret.