Every day in English Tourism Week, we are sharing one of our ‘Top Ten Tourist Treats’ here at Bradford Cathedral.
Today’s treat is our stunning historic and contemporary textiles.
a) Victorian & Early 20th Century Textiles
Bradford Cathedral has a number of beautiful, intricate and historically significant ecclesiastical textiles. These include altar frontals and other textiles designed by William Morris & Co, the Leek Embroidery Society, Bradfordian artist Ernest Sichel and renowned Bradfordian embroiderer, Louisa Pesel, who designed an altar frontal that was worked on by shell-shocked soldiers during World War One. There are also some eye-catching contemporary textiles designed by Polly Meynell.
You can catch some of these textiles on permanent display in the Cathedral, but others can be viewed on our special Ecclesiastical Textiles’ tours, the next ones being on Saturday 10th May. To book head to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ecclesiastical-textiles-tour-tickets-1224003410149?aff=oddtdtcreator
More information about our ecclesiastical textiles can be found on our website: https://bradfordcathedral.org.uk/visit-us/what-to-see/textiles/
b) Contemporary Textiles by Polly Meynell
In 2013 Bradford Cathedral celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Sir Edward Maufe’s extension, which marked the elevation from parish church to the Cathedral Church of St Peter, Bradford.
To commemorate this chapter of the building’s life, ecclesiastical textile designer Polly Meynell was asked to produce a set of textiles which would “both reflect and celebrate Bradford’s rich heritage and seek to offer something of that back to God in worship”.
Several visits to Bradford and two significant images (a map from 1889 and a modern landscape photograph) provided her inspiration and the materials for the project were sourced from the local area.
The project provided four altar frontals, together with matching pulpit falls and stoles. There are also three gold-coloured copes, displaying elements taken from the main designs. The final elements are the kneelers surrounding the high altar, which were worked on by the Cathedral’s own stitching group to Polly Meynell’s design.
The Cathedral’s stitching group, which is open to all, meets fortnightly in the Cathedral. They are currently working on kneelers for the Lady Chapel, which has Morris & Co. stained glass and a Morris & Co. altar frontal. The design for the kneelers has been created by Polly Meynell.