On London’s Holloway Road, an unassuming timber-clad building, once a garage, offers little hint of the treasures within. Behind the double doors lies an Aladdin’s cave of period costumes dating back to medieval times, as well as garments that form part of the owner’s private collection: a 400-year-old leather doublet, for example, and a dress worn by Queen Mary, her biscuit crumbs found in a pocket.

Inside, I’m taken past vases of dried flowers, oil paintings, a chaise longue and clothing on rails that actors will slip into behind giant curtains, before we head for the treasure trove: the glittering Accessories Room. I wonder how many actors over the years have perused the glass cabinets of rings and reticules or tried on the Venetian masks. I’m drawn to the racks of walking sticks and u

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