They were Mrs Dawn Large and Mr Maurice Large, the niece and great nephew of the late Mrs Freeman who originally commissioned the embroidery kit from the Royal School of Needlework in 1986.

It had taken some time and determination to track down the relatives of Mrs Freeman, as for many years following her death in 2008 the kit had been passed from one place to another, with only her name and very little story attached to it. Eventually the embroidery, its frame and all the wool required for the project was given to the cathedral on its 900th anniversary in 2018. The first people to work on it were a handful of the cathedral congregation working just one afternoon a week, but the team has grown over time and is now co-ordinated by Elaine Harburn, a former member of the Peterborough branch of the Embroiderers Guild.

Each week since then, apart from the interruption of the pandemic, work has continued with the stitchers gathering around the embroidery frame somewhere within the Cathedral. Elaine Harburn said:

‘I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet members of Mrs Freeman’s family as I wanted them to see that the project she had commissioned is flourishing.’

So what kind of person was the lady who commissioned a project of such magnitude? Mrs Large and her son remember her as a kind lady who did a lot for other people and liked to ‘do things properly’. She was a very capable manager and for many years headed up the organisation of the annual Dog Show held at the Peterborough Showground, in which capacity she met HM the Queen Mother on more than one occasion. They also remember her ‘sewing all the time’.

Mrs Freeman and her husband Ray were part of the Cathedral congregation and sometimes Ray played the Cathedral organ for services. Mrs Freeman helped in the Cathedral shop in its early days and became even more involved in Cathedral life following the death of her husband. The exact reason for her commissioning the Royal School of Needlework to create this ambitious embroidery may never be known but it is thought that she intended to complete the piece herself.

Originally it was estimated that the 4 metre long embroidery would take 40 years to complete, but in the last couple of years extra volunteers have come forward and it is now worked on for 5 sessions every week, so the expected completion date has reduced to around 5 years’ time.

Canon Tim Alban Jones, the Vice Dean, said: 

'It is inspiring to see the hard work and dedication that goes into this tapestry. Visitors regularly stop and admire the handiwork and talk to the embroiderers. It is wonderful to think that the ceiling, which was painted over 800 years ago, is still continuing to make such an impact.'

The design is taken from William Strickland’s Lithographic Drawing of the Ancient Painted Ceiling in the Nave of Peterborough Cathedral published in 1849, which differs in a few details from the actual nave ceiling. Where there are obvious discrepancies, the stitchers plan to amend their work so that it looks closer to the real thing.

Asked what they thought the medieval artists and craftsmen to created the nave ceiling would have thought about them sewing away each week underneath it, Elaine said: ‘They’d think we were bonkers!’ Although her fellow stitchers thought they’d be ‘amazed and impressed!’

Once finished, it is intended that the embroidery will be on public view.