Kate Winslet's Titanic dress to go on display in Colne (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Kate Winslet's Titanic dress to go on display in Colne

1:00pm Sunday 22nd July 2012 in News By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

AN iconic piece of modern film history is set to take pride of place at an East Lancashire museum.

Nigel Hampson, curator of the Titanic In Lancashire Museum at Colne, has secured the dress worn by Kate Winslet in the 1999 film, where she stands at the ship’s bow with Leonardo Di Caprio and shouts: ‘I’m flying’.

The Church Street venue has been lent the dress, which has only been publicly shown on a handful of occasions previously, by memorabilia specialists White Star Memories.

Earlier this year the same firm brought a thought-provoking Titanic exhibition to Colne Muni, to mark the centenary of the tragedy.

Mr Hampson said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to bring this wonderful piece of movie memoribilia to the museum.

“I am sure it will prove a big attraction and that people will love seeing it. This is an absolutely genuine item, not a mock up or recreation or copy, this is the real deal. It is a real coup for us to be able to have this here.”

The dress is made from crushed purple velvet and purple satin and came into the White Star Memories collection after props were sold off, after the shooting of the James Cameron film.

Mr Hampson says that the exhibit will be available at the museum, based in the Old Colne Grammar School, from early August.

Colne has long-standing links with the White Star liner through bandmaster Wallace Hartley, who grew up there and is buried in the town’s cemetery.