Hastings Embroidery
Encyclopedia
The Hastings Embroidery was commissioned by Group Captain
Ralph Ward
and made by the Royal School of Needlework
in 1965 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
the following year.
Intended to be a modern day equivalent of the Bayeux Tapestry
, the embroidery consists of 27 panels, each 9 × 3 ft, and shows 81 great events in British
history during the 900 years from 1066 to 1966. It took 22 embroiderers 10 months to finish.
The Hastings Embroidery
is worked in applique
by hand, with the addition of couched threads and cords, tweed
from Scotland
, fabrics from the Victoria and Albert Museum
, and feather
s from London Zoo
.
The Embroidery was on public display in Hastings, firstly in the Town Hall and then at the White Rock Pavilion (a large theatre).
The Hastings Embroidery is currently in storage, and apart from two panels on permanent display in the Town Hall, can not be viewed, despite local campaigns to protest. It has been said that to preserve the cloth and applique that special storage displays would have to constructed and that these would cost too much to provide.
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Ralph Ward
Ralph Ward
Ralph Ward was an English professional footballer who played for Hinckley United, Tottenham Hotspur, Bradford Park Avenue, Crewe Alexandra and represented England at schoolboy level...
and made by the Royal School of Needlework
Royal School of Needlework
The Royal School of Needlework is a hand embroidery school in the United Kingdom, founded in 1872.It has an archive of over 30,000 images covering every period of British history...
in 1965 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
the following year.
Intended to be a modern day equivalent of the Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
, the embroidery consists of 27 panels, each 9 × 3 ft, and shows 81 great events in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
history during the 900 years from 1066 to 1966. It took 22 embroiderers 10 months to finish.
The Hastings Embroidery
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
is worked in applique
Applique
In its broadest sense, an appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface. In the context of ceramics, for example, an appliqué is a separate piece of clay added to the primary work, generally for the purpose of decoration...
by hand, with the addition of couched threads and cords, tweed
Tweed (cloth)
Tweed is a rough, unfinished woolen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern...
from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, fabrics from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, and feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s from London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
.
The Embroidery was on public display in Hastings, firstly in the Town Hall and then at the White Rock Pavilion (a large theatre).
The Hastings Embroidery is currently in storage, and apart from two panels on permanent display in the Town Hall, can not be viewed, despite local campaigns to protest. It has been said that to preserve the cloth and applique that special storage displays would have to constructed and that these would cost too much to provide.