A workshop that rebuilt its vestments after fire and carries on stitching
The smallest cathedral involved in the Circle of Life project, Derby Cathedral is home to a well-established team of stitchers that is the equal of many much larger institutions. The Embroidery Workshop has been in existence since 1955.
Canon Leonard Childs led the Workshop from the mid-1970s until his death in 2004 and was known internationally for his embroidery designs. Many of the vestments he designed are still in use at the Cathedral, and examples of his work can also be seen at Durham Cathedral. More than twenty years after his death, his name is still spoken in the Workshop.
To mark the Cathedral’s 75th anniversary on 27 October 2002, a set of eight copes was made in heavy ivory silk. Leonard designed the hoods, which were influenced by the blue and yellow stained glass window of All Saints by Ceri Richards in the South Aisle.
In 2004, a fire, confined to the area where the vestments were stored, destroyed those Chapter Copes along with many other vestments. Determined that the embroiderers should not be downhearted, Leonard set to work immediately on designs for replacements. He died shortly afterwards, but the work continued. With much hard work, a set of six Chapter Copes was made to replace those lost. They are used at special services of celebration, including Christmas and Easter.
Today, the team of volunteers meets weekly to work on restoration and repair, including vestments and altar frontals, and continues to restore and beautify the fabrics of the Cathedral and the Diocese.
The Workshop shows how a community of makers can carry a tradition through loss, and keep the work going long after its leader has gone.
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