Renda de Bilros

Bobbin lace is made by crossing and twisting threads wound on wooden bobbins - bilros - over a pattern pinned to a firm cushion, moving the pins as the work grows; a complex piece can involve dozens of bobbins at once and takes weeks. Vila do Conde has made it since at least the seventeenth century, associated with the fishing and seafaring community where women worked while men were away, and the town became the Portuguese centre of the craft. A municipal lace school was founded in 1918 to train makers and it still operates, which is why the trade survived here when it collapsed elsewhere. The museum shows historic pieces, the tools and patterns, and has lacemakers working at pillows so visitors can watch the process, which is far more legible in person than in a case. Genuine pieces are sold and certified; machine lace is not the same thing.

What you actually see

• The pillows - lacemakers working dozens of bobbins over pinned patterns.
• The school - a municipal training operation running since 1918.
• The historic pieces - lace from the seventeenth century onward in the museum.
• The certification - genuine handmade work distinguished from machine lace.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Lacemakers work during museum hours on weekdays; weekends are less reliable for seeing the process.

Honest expectations

Handmade pieces are expensive because of the weeks of work - what is cheap is machine-made. Demonstrations depend on staffing and are not guaranteed at weekends. The museum is small. Labelling is mainly in Portuguese.

Nearby

The Santa Clara monastery and aqueduct are in the town; Porto is south on the metro.