Handloom weaving was brought to the Irvine Valley, Scotland, in the late 16th century. The craft of lace making was later introduced to the area in 1876 followed shortly by the invention of the power loom in 1877. Lace and Madras weaving continued to flourish there until the late 1970s. The struggle for companies to compete with the distribution of emerging European and Asian economies had a profound effect on the Scottish textile industry. Fortunately these patterned lace panels continue to be woven in Scotland on some of the last remaining Nottingham lace looms in the world. The manufacturing process is extremely labour intensive; the looms run at a very slow, controlled pace so as to give a high level of quality control. LASSCO has been working closely with the weavers to develop a unique collection of lace panels. These patterns were selected for use in, and especially woven for, the Saloon at Brunswick House, the 1758 Georgian Vauxhall home of the Duke of Brunswick that is now the LASSCO 'flagship'. With authentic Gainsborough patterns appropriately reminiscent of the Vauxhall Gardens style, the lower edges are worked in embroidered scallops. Currently two in stock.