From Kashmir to Cliffe Castle, Keighley, comes a collection of historic shawls.

Precious Paisleys is the title of an exhibition featuring 16 large colourful garments dating from the early and mid-1800s.

The shawls that eventually became known as "paisleys" originated in Kashmir as a highly-prized men's garment woven by a complicated handloom process.

Featuring decorative borders with a "teardrop turned over the top" plant motif, they were exported to Britain, the rest of Europe and Asia as luxury items. During the late 18th century the shawl swept through Europe as a ladies fashion item, remaining popular for a century.

Eventually, technological improvements in European weaving, particularly the Jacquard loom, changed the traditional shawl pattern.

The town of Paisley, in Scotland, had the first such British handlooms and its large rectangular shawls featured complex patterning to rival the original designs.

The exhibition at Cliffe Castle Museum, running until January 18, shows that the classic "paisley" design has never really gone out of fashion. The museum is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10am-5pm, and Sundays noon-5pm. Phone 01535 618230 for further details.