By Harry Mottram: A group of Axbridge women have created a textile hanging depicting the town’s Heritage Trail which will eventually be on permanent display in the parish church. The artwork measuring over two metres long and one metre high is a celebration of the needlework skills of the nine women who have stitched the details of the trail onto a fine piece of woven woollen fabric.
Now the heritage needlework group are raising funds to have the hanging framed to exhibit the celebration of the town’s historic streets and buildings. On the next Farmers’ Market Day on Saturday February 1st, 2025, they are holding a coffee morning in the town hall from 10am serving up teas, coffees, biscuits and cakes.
The textile hanging depicts the street layout of Axbridge’s Heritage trail with the various historic buildings numbered and with textile illustrations to symbolise each one. King John’s Hunting Lodge has been appliqued onto the fabric and there are other examples of applique, embroidery, felting and stump work. Each image was individually stitched and then appliqued onto the woven woollen background which was sourced by Pam Martin of Somerset Stitch who has helped the group with advice and support.
“The idea came from the heritage trail we created in the town,’ said the project leader Margaret Cowie, ‘and the tapestries in the town hall depicting the Axbridge Pageant. After I began the project , I formed a small group of women some of whom had long forgotten skills from their youth and school needlework classes. We’ve become a strong social group who get together regularly to sew, chat and have a cup of tea.”
She said the textile hanging would be of interest to anyone in the town particularly if they have walked and enjoyed the Heritage Trail. Some of the images that have been stitched are a blue bottle for the Old Drug Store, a lion motif for Lion House, a policeman’s helmet for Peeler’s Court, and the town’s symbol of the Lamb and Flag denoting the town hall where the fundraising coffee morning will be held on Saturday, February 1st.
Over £1,000 will be needed to house and frame the textile creation so Margaret Cowie has applied for local grants. A donation has already been received from the Jack Todd Trust and other applications are still pending. Hopefully the coffee morning will help to swell those funds.
The women will be on hand at the coffee morning to explain the different techniques and skills required to illustrate the heritage trail. The magnificent nine are: Margaret Cowie, TaraMcGowan, Stephanie Teychenne Gall, Lynn Howes, Pam Ryan, Judith Strange, Barbara Wells, Sue Rushworth and Sally Batt.
For more details about the Axbridge Heritage Trail visit https://axbridgeheritagetrails.com/
The town hall has a magnificent tapestry (the Heritage Trail’s a textile hanging – not a tapestry) depicting the various scenes of the Axbridge Pageant which has been much admired. That was a monumental operation with incredible detail and a lasting memorial to the town’s huge outdoor history play in 15 scenes – with the next one scheduled for 2019 over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Axbridge Review is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for the interest of himself and fellow residents.
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Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk
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