About
More than 140 years after a remarkable group of Leek women brought the story of the Bayeux Tapestry to the town, a new exhibition will bring their extraordinary achievement back into the spotlight.
The exhibition is being delivered by community arts programme OUTSIDE in partnership with the Friends of the Nicholson Institute Museum and Art Gallery and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, as part of Bayeux Around Britain: a British Museum partnership, supported by WorldQuant.
At the heart of the exhibition is the story of the Leek Embroidery Society, whose women created a full-scale replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in 1886. The replica was first displayed at the Nicholson Institute before later becoming part of the collection at Reading Museum.
Now, visitors can discover the remarkable local story behind the tapestry.
The Bayeux Tapestry: Stories through Stitch will bring together British Museum digital content, locally significant objects, rarely seen artefacts and artworks, alongside new work created with local communities.
Through film, projection, audio and interactive touchscreens, visitors will be able to get closer to the Bayeux Tapestry than ever before. They can explore its intricate scenes, access interactive content and engage with its stories in an accessible and immersive way, while discovering the people and craftsmanship behind Leek’s own connection to it.
From medieval embroidery to the women who stitched Leek's replica, the exhibition
will explore materials, making, heritage, craft and storytelling, revealing the threads that connect a nearly 1,000-year-old masterpiece with the people and places of the Staffordshire Moorlands today.
