The Emergency Services Chapel Altar Frontal. Gold thread for those who serve.
Lincoln Cathedral is home to the first Emergency Services Chapel in the country. Commissioned by Lincolnshire Police and dedicated on 10 October 2022, it was opened at a service attended by representatives of each of the emergency services.
The chapel is a place where family and friends can gather, reflect and remember those who have served with the Police, Fire and Rescue, Ambulance and the NHS. Four gilded panels by the Cathedral Illuminator sit in its four arches, each displaying the crest of one of the services.
At the heart of the chapel is an altar frontal designed by Jane Drummond and worked by volunteers of the Lincoln Cathedral Needlework Guild. A gold basketweave cross is worked on ivory damask, while the super frontal, also on ivory damask, uses goldwork and appliqué techniques.
The super frontal carries the symbols of the four emergency services, interspersed with stars, which stand for compassion and knowledge. At its centre are an oil pot and coins (bezants), representing the Good Samaritan, the parable of a stranger who stops to help someone in need.
The Emergency Services Chapel frontal shows cathedral textiles responding to the needs of a community today. It takes the traditional skills of goldwork, appliqué and canvas work and uses them to honour people who run towards danger and care for others. Made by volunteers and installed in a brand-new space for remembrance, it is a very recent example of the long tradition of cathedral needlework.
See all of wonderful Threads of Faith entries here.
