22.06.18
Conservation of Loom Woven Rush Panels -
25 Mar 2022
Since the end of the Covid lockdown, the chapel woven panels' project has made good progress. The three reddish panels on either side of the altar have been carefully cleaned and mounted (off site) by Pieta Greaves of Drakon Heritage and Conservation. We have decided to reinstall them on the reverse side as the colours and patterns are remarkable as the photograph at the top left shows.
Four of the worn and sagging grey coloured panels on the north wall and one from beside the door have just been removed and once again the colours and bright patterns on the reverse are really very remarkable and show what they must have been like originally. The other photographs clearly show the contrast between the original (1892) and present conditions. We can’t wait to see these five beautiful panels once they have been cleaned, realigned and mounted off site, and then reinstalled on the chapel walls. This is scheduled to take place in July, with the remaining panels from the south wall expected to be completed by early September. We are also hoping to analyse the woven material to help us to determine their origin. Please look out for further updates and a possible launch event at the chapel!
18 Jun 2022
Since the end of last year Pieta Greaves of Drakon Heritage and Conservation has been working on the intricately woven panels from cemetery chapel. The conservation is being carried out at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke and we have been delighted with progress to date. Three of the panels have been completely cleaned and stabilised, damaged areas have been realigned and the panels have been mounted onto a non-
The four panels that were recently taken from the north wall of the chapel are now being worked on. There is more work to do yet but it is now possible to see wonderful bright red, gold and black hues on the front of the panels, which were originally grey. Once again we have seen how vibrant and magnificent the back of the panels are, possibly resembling their original colour.
Pieta has not found any evidence to show that the panels had been used as wall coverings prior to their installation in the chapel. They may have been woven floor coverings that could perhaps have been made to sell to the 'Victorian' market. The patterns have been identified as possibly coming from Sarawak, Borneo. However, these are only theories and we may never really know their history. We are hoping to be able to identify the fibres which may help us to further locate their origin.
Pieta is hoping to be able to re-
Click on the pictures for a larger view
v7.