Some last minute manoeuvering to get the oak beam into place. Photo: Photo courtesy of the Quaker Tapestry in Kendal.
Tapestry moved to temporary home
Quaker Tapestry moved because of urgent repairs
The Quaker Tapestry, currently housed in the historic Meeting house in Kendal, has had to move because of urgent repairs to the building. The move comes in the wake of the wettest year on record in Cumbria.
Sandra Rose Timson, operations manager at the exhibition, explained: ‘During our closed period over the winter, major changes were planned in the exhibition room, including what we thought would be a simple re-decoration and repair job.
‘The builders and specialists discovered that the west wall in the exhibition room is wringing wet. It is estimated that the £20,000+ worth of damage has resulted from rain getting in… The west wall bears the main brunt of any bad weather.’
A long lintel oak beam needed replacing as well as all the original plaster mouldings around the window and cornices to the ceiling. The Meeting House café is unaffected by the building work.
The story has turned out, however, to have a silver lining. Sandra Rose said: ‘Kendal Local Quaker Meeting has granted permission for us to temporarily display some of the panels in the adjacent Friends Meeting Room and, on making enquiries in the town, we have been offered a large empty town centre shop in a busy location.
‘This will enable us to display several more panels, have an embroidery demonstration area and a small Quaker Tapestry shop!… We will be able to promote the Quaker Tapestry to local people and visitors who haven’t heard about or seen the tapestry before, thus turning a disaster into something extremely positive and beneficial.’
