ON April 19, 1947, Joan Rathbone wore a beautiful dress made entirely of Nottingham lace when she married Ken Simpson.

"It was a fantastic day, it really was. There was still snow on the ground but the sun shone," says 88-year-old Joan, of Melbury Road, Bilborough.

The couple were married at St Mary's Church, in Bulwell, before a reception at a church hall in Broomhill Road.

They didn't go on their honeymoon straight away, instead choosing to visit Bournemouth the following year.

"And that's when I wore my bikini," says Joan, smiling.

Since that day, the dress has been stored in an old dry-cleaning box, bearing a date from 1938. As far as Joan can recall, in that time it's been out of the box only once, to show her daughter Yvonne, now 57, but that was at least 50 years ago.

"I can't even remember when I packed it," says Joan. "I must have packed it up after I got married and after that it's always been at the bottom of my wardrobe."

It was a recent article in the Post about modern-day Nottingham lace wedding dresses by Kula Tsurdiu that prompted Joan to think about her dress. She invited the Post along to unwrap it from the box with her.

Sadly, Ken died 22 years ago but Joan's first thoughts upon opening the box and seeing her wedding dress for the first time in more than 50 years were of her husband.

"Oh Kenny boy, look at that – it's beautiful," says Joan.

"I didn't realise it was like this – look at the detail. The shape of the dress is lovely, even right down to the sleeves."

Made entirely of lace, the full-length dress has buttons all down the front, a Peter Pan collar, ruched shoulders, long sleeves and a small train.

Despite spending the past 50-odd years in a box, it isn't fragile and the lace is still in perfect condition.

Joan bought the lace from the old Nottingham Market, near to where Oceana nightclub is now.

"There were lots of lace stalls there and me and my mum went down there and bought all the lace,'' she says.

"It was a massive market because, of course, we hadn't got the Victoria Centre then.uniform costume That was a fantastic market. All the lace was from Nottingham because we'd still got all the factories."

Although she can't recall how much the lace for the dress cost, she doesn't believe it would have been expensive, especially compared to the average cost of wedding dresses these days.

Joan always had an eye for style and she designed the dress but it was family friend Ada Tippin who crafted it by hand. Joan says: "She was ever so nice, Ada. She said, 'you get me the material and I'll make it for you, Joan'.Christmas Costume

"I do remember that I chose what I wanted. And you were all covered up then from top to bottom; really well wrapped up."

Joan spent her life growing up around lace, which is why it was fitting for her to wear it on her big day.

Her mother, Lillian Rathbone, worked at Birkin's lace factory when she was young and then when she had Joan and brother Harry, Lillian used to take rolls of lace home to repair.

Joan says: "My brother and I used to be in the dining room on the table and we used to go through it and tie knots where the little holes were so my mum knew where they were."

Joan and Ken met on New Year's Eve 1945 at the Crown pub, in Main Street, Bulwell, when Ken was on leave from the Royal Marines.

When he was posted away again, they wrote to each other and, after he was discharged in May 1945, they started going out. In June 1946, they were engaged.

The couple had more than 40 years together before Ken died. He spent his working life as a rep for Cheshire Carpets.

After being employed at a munitions factory during the war, Joan carried on working, first at the Co-op in Bulwell and then as a hairdresser at Joyce Jackson's, also in Bulwell.

At her home, Joan is surrounded by memories of their years together.

She says: "Lots of people don't know how lovely Nottingham lace is. It's so beautiful and it's really good quality."

Joan's dress, which looks almost as new as when it was put in a box in 1947, is testament to that.