ON October 8 members of Whitefield & District Women's Luncheon Club welcomed Mrs H. Lowe and her beautiful collection of Queen of England dolls.

These were so beautifully dressed that, even before her talk, they created much interest. The members were fascinated without a word being spoken.

Mrs Lowe explained that she was interested in both history and fashion at an early age, so it was no surprise when at 13, and as the result of a history project at school, she began her collection.

She had brought with her 27 dolls covering a period of English queens from the Norman Conquest to the present day.

Each period had been researched and the clothes studied in great depth. Accuracy was of the utmost importance. The result of this is a collection of dolls dressed in the fashion of the period. Every one is perfect in every detail.

Her collection of 34 dolls starts with Queen Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, and continues through to our present monarch, Queen Elizabeth the Second.

Each member had personal favourites but, if I had to choose, I think my top three would be:

Elizabeth the First in a beautiful gown and headdress with 717 jewels lovingly added by Mrs Lowe.

Queen Caroline, the wife of George the Third, who wore very fancy dresses with wigs made of balsa-wood and straw, covered in a form of plaster which would itself be covered in fake hair. On top of these she would wear baskets of fruit or even model ships in full sail. These extraordinary creations could be up to five feet tall.

Queen Elizabeth the Second's Coronation gown was exquisite. Apparently Norman Hartnell designed nine special outfits for the big occasion from which the Queen could make her final choice.

This love of history and fashion led Mrs Lowe into TV "stardom" when she was asked to talk about her collection on children's television. Once, when she was exhibiting her work, she met Prince Charles who stopped to talk to her about it.

She is still making dolls, whenever possible. Given the demands of her family, friends and other interests, her time is somewhat limited.

These days Mrs Lowe speaks to groups such as ours and visits junior schools, which she thoroughly enjoys. All the proceeds from her speaking engagements go the children's hospice in Chorley.

J EAN MASTERSON