What is a Durham Cathedral Broderer?
The Broderers undertake repair and renewal work for Durham Cathedral and have completed several major projects. Notable examples of their outstanding work can be found in the Chapel of the Nine Altars, but many other contributions to the beauty of the cathedral are also on view.
History of Durham Cathedral Broderers
The Broderers Group was founded in 1978 by Phyllis Richardson, widow of Dean Richardson who had been asked to do some restoration and repair work on vestments and some of the older altar frontals.
There were originally 4 members. Two experienced needlewomen who were teaching embroidery, Joan Finlinson (until 1995) and Dorothy Watson, who were invited to act as tutors. When Phyllis retired in 2000, the Broderers were led by another founder member of the Group, Dorothy Watson, until her retirement in 2006.
Tracy A Franklin, a freelance specialist traditional embroiderer based in Durham City and trained at the Royal School of Needlework, succeeded Dorothy in January 2007.
Since 2007, the Broderers team have worked on a set of vestments for Lent, including a Lenten Array altar frontal for the high altar, and a Laudian cloth for the nave altar. They also designed and completed a hanging for the Saint Aidan Chapel in the Diocese of Durham building and are working on a cope based on the life of Saint Cuthbert for the Library which leads to the Museum within the cathedral.
The project incorporates techniques used in Medieval times including Bayeux stitch and split stitch, from the Bayeux Tapestry from the 11th Century, and underside couching, a historic embroidery technique, famously used in medieval Opus Anglicanum (which is latin for English work), dating from around 1250 – 1350.
Underside couching involves laying a silver/gilt thread along the surface of a linen fabric, whilst an additional finer linen thread is stitched over it, pulling it into the base fabric through the same hole, and creating a loop on the back. Underside couching gave the embroidered fabric flexibility, where diagonal and diamond diaper patterns were incorporated into the technique as decoration. The Middle English word diaper originally referred to a luxurious cloth of rhombic pattern repeats.
The meaning of the design
The Circle of Life project has two components. The first is a circular piece of luxury wool cloth over 2.3m in diameter with an outer circle of twelve detachable panels each depicting scenes from the Upholders’ history including the making of mattresses, the Great Fire of London and a funeral cortege.
Each panel is made by a different Cathedral Broderer team who have created a silhouette of their own cathedral as part of an inner circle within the whole design. The design also includes the Upholders’ crest, two sparvers (the tent-like symbols on the crest), and two crosses to be undertaken by Fine Cell Work.
Secondly, is the Funeral Pall. An additional luxury wool cloth will be created to cover a coffin at a funeral, to which some of the twelve panels, the crosses, crest and sparvers can be attached.
Project step by step
Stage one
The first step is creating the ‘gold background’ or known as Opus Anglicanum (underside couching), which the Borderers learnt from Tracy.
Stage two
Involved surface stitching of green bottom section and the blue shield background.
Stage three
The incredible detail of this stage was completed over Christmas, including the two larger sheep and the fine detail within the bell tents.
Stage four
The penultimate step involved creating the top section of the design - the mantel, helmet and Cuddy Duck
Stage five
The final step to this complex design was to add the red outline.
Speaking on the undertaking of such a important project, Head Broderer, Tracy A Franklin commented;
"As head Broderer of Durham Cathedral, with links to the Royal School of Needlework, last year when I was approached by the Worshipful Company of Upholders regarding this project, and asked if we would work the central panel of this collaborative project to mark the 400th anniversary of the Upholders receiving their Royal Charter, I was both eager and knew I had the best team behind me to fulfil this commission."
"It has been great honour to manage my team, work with the Royal School of Needlework, and alongside the other teams of Broderers."
Tracy continued, "We very much look forward to the unveiling next month, and welcoming the finished piece to be displayed at Durham Cathedral in the future."
When will the complete 'Circle of Life' project be unveiled?
The project will be unveiled in Guild Hall in the City of London on Thursday 9th July where all the participants of all the cathedrals, along with the Royal School of Needlework, will gather for a luncheon, and an opportunity to meet one another.
Once complete, the Circle of Life, which will be housed in a beautiful circular timber frame complete with museum quality glass, will go on tour for three years to each participating Cathedral. This will give the wider public a chance to see the amazing work of each Cathedral Broderer team.