Culture in Norwich: The Norwich Friends’ Tapestry

Culture in Norwich: The Norwich Friends’ Tapestry

Redeveloping Norwich Castle as a Royal Palace Reborn was certainly no mean feat! When you enter The Grand Hall, take note of the authenticity and attention to detail, whether it’s the colourful furniture, ornate ironwork or, of course, the Norwich Friends’ Tapestry– a continuation of the famous Bayeux Tapestry (Take note: 2027 is the Year of the Normans!).

To celebrate Volunteers Week (1 – 7 June), we’re shining a light on the efforts of the group behind this embroidery. From extensive research to crafting the correct stitch. Here, we speak to volunteer and team coordinator Nik Ravenscroft about the process of bringing the Norwich Friends’ Tapestry to life! 

Image: The Norwich Friends’ Tapestry and its volunteers © Beth Moseley

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Tell us about the Norwich Friends Tapestry. What does it depict and how does it link to the famous Bayeux Tapestry?

The Norwich Friends’ Tapestry (named for the Friends of the Norwich Museums who funded it) is based on the Bayeux Tapestry’s style and construction.  The story depicts what happened in the East of England after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and shows two unsuccessful rebellions against William the Conqueror, including the surrender negotiated by Emma de Gauder, just 16 years old.

How much research went into the style, stitch and authenticity of this incredible embroidery?

The hanging is as close to the Bayeux Tapestry as possible – the stitches are the same and worked in the same way; the linen is actually from Bayeux (very pleasing) and the crewel wool is English. The colours are as close as possible to those that would have originally been used.

Our artist kept close to the original, too, using some of the buildings and figures from the Bayeux Tapestry to influence the imagery. We got very familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry as we worked out how to embroider various things – my book has a lot of sticky notes in it labelled things like “Knees” and “Horses”! 

You’re a team of enthusiastic volunteers. What’s the story of you coming together as a collective? And how many of you are there?

Starting in 2017, potential participants discussed the various textiles to be made for the project and were shown what they might be doing. When the tapestry finally started, we had 13 panels to embroider and, luckily, 13 volunteers prepared to put in the necessary hours (between 500 – 800 hours per panel). We also had embroiderers who were happy to work on the borders or to take over a panel – the team got up to about 40 people involved one way or another.

Crucially, we had volunteers towards the end for ‘snagging’ – looking for and fixing mistakes – and for working over the panels once they were joined together. Over seven years, we held monthly meetings (via Zoom in lockdown), and we’re still having tea and cake together, even after the project’s completion.

How did you approach this project? Were you influenced by other aspects of the Royal Palace Reborn redevelopment? Did you face any challenges?

It was important to balance two main considerations in creating the hanging.

Firstly, the tapestry should be as good as possible – it’s adorning a royal palace, after all, and medieval English embroiderers were famously excellent; and secondly, it should be a community project. Only one of us had done the stitch before, so we all started from the same point. With practice, everyone got to an excellent standard. 

We took a panel out ‘on tour’ to events like the Royal Norfolk Show, the Norfolk Makers Festival, various Norfolk museum venues, local schools, social and University of the Third Age groups for members of the public to add a stitch or two. We really enjoyed talking about the project and it was fascinating to see how excited people got about being able to contribute. When the hanging first went up on the walls, participants could be seen trying to find where they had added their stitches and talking about when they had done ‘their bit’.

Doing a lot of research into the original helped us get the work looking right. There were lots of challenges, including how to get different embroiderers to work in a similar style, so it looks like one work. Part of the answer turned out to be a detailed ‘house style’ document everyone could consult, comparing the work at meetings, and communicating as much as possible. The other essential part was having talented volunteers who were beyond generous with their time and skills, and who also had very understanding families – the frames on which the panels were mounted were large and took up a lot of space in the home!

Are there any facts we should know or details to look out for in the tapestry?

The tapestry can be appreciated in place, as a narrative that stretches over three walls of the King’s Chamber but can also be seen in detail on an interactive screen (zoom in and see if you spot any mistakes. But don’t tell us…). The borders are full of interesting, often mythical, beasts and references to familiar stories.

One of these is Adam, happily naming the animals in his innocent days in Paradise. He hasn’t yet met Eve, so this is where we followed the Bayeux Tapestry in having naked figures. But only one – see if you can spot him in the lower border…

Apart from the Norwich Friends Tapestry, what do you recommend I see or do at Norwich Castle?

Norwich Castle’s ‘recreation’ gives a strong sense of the glamour and style of the original castle as a palace: it is not solely a stone box at all! The Gallery of Mediaeval Life is a wonderful window into the reality of history’s colourful, artistic medieval world: no-one can come away from it thinking that people in this period were dull, drab or lacking in amazing skills.

What’s next?

When the original tapestry is being conserved and cleaned, there will be a printed substitute tapestry that will go up in its place. That’s the next thing to be made, and there will soon be kits on sale at the museum so that you can try the Bayeux stitch for yourself. Enjoy!

You can see the Norwich Friends’ Tapestry in Norwich Castle Keep. Norwich Castle is open daily from 10am – 5pm, adults from £15.30, children from £13.05- book in advance online for the best prices. Twilight ticket one hour before closing £2.50.