The final stitch! Stunning Peterborough Cathedral Nave embroidery finally completed after eight years

After eight years, more than 1.5 million stitches and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, an incredible embroidery recreating Peterborough Cathedral’s medieval painted Nave ceiling has finally been completed.

It has taken eight years to bring the ambitious project – which is a large-scale needlepoint interpretation of the intricate 13th century painting on the ceiling – to fruition.

On Thursday, September 3, the Bishop of Peterborough, the Right Reverend Debbie Sellin, was given the honour of adding the final stitch to the stunning four-metre-long creation at its official unveiling at Peterborough Cathedral.

Addressing a crowd of eager observers, she shared her admiration and awe for the final product:

"It’s a work of art,” she said, “It’s absolutely stunning.” Also attending was The Very Reverend Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough. He took the opportunity to pay tribute to the extended efforts of all those contributors – known as the 'Sacristy Stitchers’ – who made the embroidery’s creation possible.

“We are in awe of the wonderful team of volunteer embroiderers who have translated this into an amazing tapestry to shine a new light on this unique artefact,” he said.

"It has required great patience, commitment, skill and love and involved such a big team of people.”

The project first began way back in 1986 when Madeleine Freeman, a volunteer and supporter of the Cathedral, commissioned the original embroidery kit from the Royal School of Needlework. Following Ms Freeman’s death in 2008, the embroidery kit was passed from one place to another until, eventually, its frame and all the wool required for the project was given to the Cathedral on its 900th anniversary in 2018.

It was then that the 'Sacristy Stitchers’ picked up the baton.

“We thought it was going to take about 40 years [to complete] when we first started,” recalls Emily Finnie, one of the first recruits to join the fray.

She said that seeing the finished embroidery in all its glory leaves people “amazed”

"It’s really quite something seeing it laid out on the table underneath the ceiling that it depicts,” she noted.

Another volunteer who attended the unveiling is Rodney Marks, who started on the project in October 2024.

"I’ve really enjoyed it, “ he told the Peterborough Telegraph. “My background is merchant navy - I used to take sewing away with me when I was at sea.”

The team has been led by Elaine Harburn, a former member of the Peterborough branch of the Embroiderers Guild.

She said that working within the team – which consists of around 30 regular volunteers and more than 100 contributors – has been a standout highlight of the endeavour.

"We’ve made real proper friendships,” she told the Peterborough Telegraph, “there are people here who now go out to the theatre together and all sorts,” she said. Elaine has also been pleased with the public’s response to the embroidery.

"People have been quite amazed by it, I think,” she said, adding: “It’s the colours – you can’t see them up there [on the Nave ceiling] as it’s pretty dingy.”

The Nave ceiling was erected and painted in the 13th century, and is one of the most spectacular parts of the cathedral, and has huge historical importance. The design includes hundreds of intricate diamond shapes, each with images inside and patterns around the outside. Though the final decision on how it will be displayed going forward has yet to be formally announced, the embroidery will most definitely become a permanent part of Peterborough Cathedral. “It will be framed or mounted or whatever is going to happen to it and then it will come back and be displayed in all its glory, forever,” Elaine said.