RSN at Dover Castle
The Royal School of Needlework has joined forces with English Heritage to bring mediaeval Dover Castle back to life.
The Royal School of Needlework were one of the many organisations brought in by English Heritage to help create their new ‘immersive experience’ at Dover Castle’s Great Tower. The idea is to show visitors how it would have looked like during a state visit by Henry II in 1184. English Heritage have used archival material to reconstruct the tower interiors, complete with period furniture, artefacts and textiles, and have even re-created the armoury and kitchens.
The RSN were called in to recreate the original wall hangings and Henry’s royal standard. They had to use period artefacts to work out how the hangings would have looked, especially pieces depicting heraldic devices from written sources to the very few surviving textiles, including the Bayeux tapestry. And the results are very convincing: the main banner, hung in the King’s Hall, features a golden appliqué lion on a red background. Other hangings show King Henry on horseback ready for battle, wielding a sword and wearing his crown. The pieces were made using period techniques such as couching, stem, split and chain stitch and the details have been embellished with pearls and jewel-like stones to give them extra zing.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
