Celebrating History and Community through Embroidery

Celebrating History and Community through Embroidery is on at Hastings Town Hall until 1 November, with three embroidered works on display across the upstairs and the ground-floor corridor, and the HEART Community Hub next door. The main draw is The Hastings Embroidery, which runs Thursday to Monday, 10.00am to 4.00pm. It's a big piece: 27 panels stretching 243 feet, made in 1966 by the Royal School of Needlework to mark the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. It traces nine centuries of English history from 1066 onwards, and because it's too large and fragile to be housed permanently, it only comes out for special shows — it was last seen at the Bridge Point Arts Centre in Rye in 2019.

Beside it hangs the original 1995 Hastings in Stitches quilt, 68 squares sponsored by the Cooperative Women's Guild, celebrating the town's institutions and volunteer organisations. Thirty years later, James Matthew Thomas and Tara Reddy of Arts on Prescription commissioned local artists and textile workers to make a new 68-square quilt for 2025. They kept the project led by women, but this time it honours a more diverse and politicised Hastings, with several organisations appearing on both.

Hastings has a long association with embroidery, and the town's most famous link is the Bayeux Tapestry, which documents Britain's most historic battle. This exhibition brings that connection home, from the royal needlework of the sixties to the community quilts that map the town's own life. Entry is free, and the 2025 Hastings in Stitches quilt is open Wednesday to Friday 10.00am to 4.00pm and Saturday 10.00am to 1.00pm.