Sneak peek at the film and TV costumes that will be displayed at Bankfield Museum including Pride and Prejudice shirt

Calderdale Council’s museums service purchased seven items at an auction of items from the archives of Cosprop, a costume house founded by Oscar-winning designer John Bright.

The costumes include the shirt worn by Colin Firth in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

The hammer price for the shirt was £20,000, with the buyer's premium at £5,000, taking the total to £25,000, all of which will go to the John Bright Foundation, an arts education charity, offering creative programmes to children and young people.

The shirt was purchased with the museum’s ringfenced ‘Works of Art Fund’, which has been built up over the years from generous donations and bequests specifically for the purpose of enhancing the museum collection for residents and visitors.

Richard Macfarlane, Calderdale Council’s Museum Manager, said: “At the risk of sounding like Indiana Jones, the shirt belongs in a museum.

"We know the scene wasn’t in the book, but this is a piece of costume history and I’m delighted that thanks to generous donations we’ve been able to bring this item to Calderdale.”

The shirt will be on display from May 25 until December 24.

The museum also purchased the Gentleman Jack outfit worn by Suranne Jones. This will go alongside the recent costumes and props from the Sally Wainwright show gifted to the Council by the production company Lookout Point.

Other items purchased by the museum at the same sale include the yellow pelisse from the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma; two outfits from Downton Abbey; and the King and Queen’s outfits from The King’s Speech - meaning there will soon be two items worn by Colin Firth in the museum collections.