The Barrow Tapestry, Barrow Upon Humber

In February 2025 I was contacted by Helen, a local councillor from the small Humber estuary village of Barrow Upon Humber.  She'd had an idea brewing for a year or so already; to make a tapestry that detailed the history of the village and have it brought to life in stitch by members of the community. 

an early draft of panel 1

Being a huge fan of the hidden gem that is the Hull tapestry, I leapt at the chance to be involved.  Since then, we've been working with the community via engagement sessions and workshops to determine themes for each of the five tapestry panels and uncovering the stories of the village, from a visit from Henry VIII to their local 17th Century celebrity John Harrison, who developed the marine chronometer.

work in progress for panel 1

I've been creating the illustrations to represent every point of history.  Each panel features 10-14 illustrations of unique village stories.  The artwork is then digitally printed onto fabric to serve as a guide for the embroidery to begin. Stitching begun on the first panel in March 2026 and the whole project wraps up in Spring 2027, after which the tapestry will be on permanent public display in the village.

Find out more about Barrow here.