UKFT member John Spencer Textiles has been commissioned to weave a Lancashire Tapestry to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years of service to her people and the Commonwealth. The Queen also holds the title of the Duke of Lancaster, and therefore has a special relationship with Lancashire and the people who live in the county. This is the first time in British history that a monarch has marked a platinum jubilee, which presented a unique opportunity for an artist to create a work that will encapsulate the moment.

The Lancashire Tapestry being inspected at John Spencer Textiles

Taking inspiration from the Lancashire industrialists and philanthropists of the past, who donated great artworks that have lasted through the ages in galleries like the Harris, Lord Shuttleworth and a collective of local business leaders and cultural professionals have come together to commission a new artwork which celebrates this extraordinary moment in our civic history.

Lord Shuttleworth said: “Her Majesty the Queens platinum jubilee is a unique historical occasion that allows us as her subjects an opportunity to express our thanks for 70 years of continuous service to the nation. Not only has it provided great constitutional stability but also defined our nation to the world. The commissioning of this great artwork will give the people of Lancashire a legacy to celebrate this major event.”

The Lancashire Tapestry being woven at John Spencer Textiles

The Lancashire Tapestry

Following an open call, Jamie Holman an artist born and practicing in Lancashire, has created a monumental tapestry 18m x 1.6m that will be unveiled on June 1st at Blackburn Cathedral.

Jamie has recognised the significant change that has occurred throughout the Queen’s reign but that the constant throughout this period has been the service of the monarch, a monarch who has sat with every Prime Minister from Churchill to Johnson and has devoted her life to the nation.

To accompany the tapestry Jamie has recorded 70 people, all of whom are aged 70 and have been alive as long as the Queen has been on the throne. By recording their memories of both the large, and small memories of their lives, he has produced a beautiful, poetic multi-channel soundscape installation that tells the story of the Queen’s reign, our diverse Lancastrian communities and the extraordinary individuals who best remember her lifetime of service. He has threaded their stories, as told by them, creating a narrative that will accompany this significant tapestry that depicts the 70 years of the monarch’s service to her people.

Jamie Holman commented: “As an artist I’ve found myself interrogating history through the lens of personal narratives, whether that’s through my now personal ancestry, or a unique story of an individual who has stood against the odds. I find ways to tell that story or question the beliefs an era has left as a legacy. Often my work explores working class stories, so this is a totally new venture for me, but I’ll apply the same logic to this commission. I want to make this a capsule of more than our monarch’s 70 years – but for 70 years of her people.”

The commission is being woven in Burnley, Lancashire, by UKFT member John Spencer Textiles. The company, which has been operating in the town for 150 years, serves a wide array of niche markets with woven fabrics for blankets, curtains and cushions, through to ballistic stab vests, firefighter suits, taekwondo suits, composite bearings, suiting, baby slings, prestige car seating and mattresses.

John Spencer Textiles chairman David Collinge said; “It is certainly the longest pattern repeat that we have ever woven, with a repeat of 65,000 picks.”

The completed Tapestry and narrative will be on display in Blackburn Cathedral until January 2023 and then will be shown at other venues nationally and internationally.

The artworks are sponsored by personal donation and sponsorship, additional monies raised will be used the support Lancashire young people via the Lancashire Community Foundation.

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John Spencer Textiles is a UKFT member. Interested in UKFT membership? Find out more here.