Heritage Volunteers look for opportunities to help conserve and explain our heritage. One member of our Evesham group volunteers at Court Barn Museum, Chipping Campden, but the group as a whole specialises in using needlework skills either to preserve worn fabric or to create new objects such as church linens or historical costumes.

We worked on the magnificent altar frontals at St Andrew’s Church, Toddington, (above), where the fringe on the frontal shown above had been worn from generations of clergy feet brushing against it and long slits in the silk had appeared. Weak and broken threads in the embroidery had to be secured, too, all in all calling for 50 hours of skilled work from our team. 

The second frontal (below) required conservation work including sewing down goldwork and making some new leaves.

In recent years we have also worked at Ragley Hall, where the upholstery of the suite in the Red Saloon was showing wear and tear. Following the advice of expert conservators, we stabilised the damage by carefully inserting a lining under the rents, and then sewing the worn material down onto it with a very fine thread. Lastly, for good measure, we covered the repairs with a matching net and we now hope that the seven chairs and two settees will continue to look good for a long while to come.
a Ragley chair before…
and after…

A very different task was to make costumes for the Almonry Museum in Evesham to use during school visits. The Museum teaches children about the life of Benedictine monks at Evesham Abbey and now, with 30 miniature monks’ habits, the children will be able to dress up and participate more fully in the abbey experience. 

 

The Museum in Evesham also now has large new banners depicting the arms of Henry III (left) and Simon de Montfort (right).  These can be used during events connected with the Battle of Evesham

 

A replacement church chalice veil created by the Volunteers by backing the original embroidery onto new fabric.

 

We conserved a pair of woven wool curtains which had been made at the William Morris factory and originally hung at Wormington Grange but which are now being used to screen the vestry in St Katharine’s, Wormington. We are using the same techniques of lining, couching and netting as were used on the Ragley Hall furniture, in order to make the curtains fully serviceable.

 

 

The altar frontal at Stanway church has been stabilised for future use after suffering attack by mice.

If you know of any local church, museum or public building where there may be needlework to be done, do get in touch with the our Heritage Volunteers, where conservation, or present-day creations, are all part of our offer.

Contact:  Sue Bennett  rpandsbennett@gmail.com