The world of concealed garments is strange, puzzling, probably superstitious - and fascinating.

The practice of hiding articles, particularly clothing and shoes, in building voids - wall cavities, under thresholds, up chimneys, under floorboards - possibly to ward off evil spirits, has been known about for centuries - but not much has been written on the subject.

All that is about to change, with a major project at the Textile Conservation Centre in Winchester which will locate, document and research cases of deliberately-concealed garments in buildings.

"This folk practice appears to be related to the concealment of other objects, such as witch-bottles, dried cats and household items," said Dinah Eastop, director of the project.

"There are many reasons why garments and other objects were concealed. One motive seems to have been for protection against witchcraft - especially in the 17th century but very little has been written on the subject," she said.

There was a significant article written in 1996 about shoe finds and there are thousands of cases recorded. There is also a series of concealments of children's things - perhaps to do with infant deaths."

Dinah and her colleagues at the Park Avenue centre would welcome more reports of finds.

The project has a website - www.concealedgarments.org - comprising information about what deliberately concealed garments are, their cultural significance - some are rare examples of historic working dress - and a database. It serves to bring together the information about known garment finds into one central resource and it forms a "virtual collection" of concealed garments.

Recorded finds in Hampshire include a "stomacher" corset made of whalebone, cloth and paper, dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, and a waistcoat.

They were found in a bread oven next to the fireplace of a house at Nether Wallop.

A hat covered in black velvet, now in the care of the centre at Winchester, was found concealed in the wall of a house in Scotland. The machine stitching indicates that it is probably from the late 19th, or early 20th century.

* The Arts and Humanities Research Board has made a £948,000 grant, to be spread over five years, for a new facility at Winchester's Textile Conservation Centre.