Following the extraordinary response to last year’s exhibition, The Longest Yarn, Peterborough Cathedral will this year host the new and much-anticipated sequel The Longest Yarn II: Britain at War, a powerful and deeply human retelling of the Second World War through handcrafted knitting and crochet.
Opening on June 3 inside the Cathedral’s historic New Building and running until July 4, the exhibition brings together 80 intricately created panels of “wool art”, each one metre in length. Together they tell the story of life in Britain from the declaration of war on September 3 1939 through to VE Day on May 8 1945, not only the battles fought, but the lives lived at home.
Visitors will encounter moments that shaped a generation: the King’s Speech, the Blitz, evacuation, D-Day, the bombing of cities, rationing, the Home Guard, the Women’s Land Army and the quiet resilience of communities across the country. Every panel captures an episode of national memory, rendered in remarkable detail through knitting and crochet, transforming familiar history into something intimate and personal.
Accompanying the panels are The Gang, eight life-size figures representing the people whose courage sustained Britain during the war, from a Land girl to a Spitfire pilot.
Set within the Cathedral’s stunning surroundings, these figures create a striking connection between past and present, inviting visitors to see wartime stories not as distant history, but as lived experience.
The Very Reverend Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough said: "The amazing popularity of The Longest Yarn was a testimony to the creativity and skill of the many extraordinary people involved in its creation, as well as the ways in which it honoured those men and women whose service and sacrifice in time of war it commemorated. We so look forward to welcoming The Longest Yarn II: Britain at War and the many visitors who I’m sure will find encouragement and renewed inspiration from this exhibition.”
Tickets for the exhibition will go on sale soon, with more details available at https://peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/event/tickets-coming-soon-the-longest-yarn-ii-britain-at-war/
1. The Longest Yarn II: Britain at War
One of the pieces in the exhibition Photo: The Longest Yarn
2. The Longest Yarn II: Britain at War
The exhibition will visit in the summer Photo: The Longest Yarn
3. Longest Yarn II: Britain at War
The exhibition is made of 'wool art' Photo: Longest Yarn
