Peterborough Cathedral embroidery replica completed after eight years
Volunteers have finished an eight-year embroidery replica of Peterborough Cathedral's medieval ceiling, with the Bishop adding final stitches.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Volunteers have completed an eight-year project to create an embroidery replica of Peterborough Cathedral's medieval painted ceiling. The work, which features one and a half million stitches, was finished this morning when the Bishop of Peterborough added the final stitches.
More than 100 volunteers took part in the project, which began in 2018 after materials were gifted to the cathedral. The design recreates the ceiling's kings, saints and mythical creatures in intricate detail. One volunteer, Verity, described the moment of completion as "emotional and overwhelming" and said she never expected the work to finish so quickly. She had joined the project when volunteers thought it might take 40 years.
The idea for the embroidery dates back to 1986, when a cathedral volunteer first suggested it. She died before a stitch could be sewn, but the project was revived when materials were donated. The work grew from just seven stitches to more than 30 regular volunteers, with many others contributing over the years.
One volunteer recalled how her granddaughter worked on a section and enjoyed it so much that she did not stop, leaving the stitching unfinished. The volunteer said they liked that imperfection because it reminded them of the child's enthusiasm.
The cathedral is now fundraising to put the embroidery on permanent display, so that visitors can admire it without craning their necks at the original ceiling. The project has been described as a labour of love, and the finished work is expected to become a permanent fixture alongside the medieval ceiling it replicates.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| The Bishop of Peterborough placed the final stitches. | |
| The embroidery consists of 1.5 million stitches. | |
| The embroidery took eight years to produce. | |
| The idea for the embroidery dates back to 1986. | |
| The project began with seven stitches and grew to more than 30 regular volunteers. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The lunchtime bulletin focused on the emotional completion of the project, featuring an interview with volunteer Verity who described her personal connection to a section nicknamed 'The Dude'. It highlighted the scale of the achievement and the long history of the idea, including the original volunteer who died before work began.
- “It's emotional and overwhelming and just fabulous to see it all you know that that tiny bit that I spent weeks doing is such a small bit in comparison to this entire project.”
- “Because he's clearly more than a dude isn't he let's be honest.”
- “Well thousands of hours of work which came to a conclusion this morning when the Bishop of Peterborough put the final few stitches in place”
The evening bulletin gave a more rounded summary, including the anecdote about a volunteer's granddaughter and the fundraising appeal for permanent display. It also noted the project's origins in 1986 and the fact that the original idea was never realised by its proposer.
- “It's just fully overwhelming. I can't believe that a few stitches every week has created this.”
- “So that bit has not come to a proper point. Does it matter? No, it doesn't matter. In fact, we like that bit because we know that that's the bit that she did.”
- “They're now fundraising to put it on permanent display in the cathedral so that, unlike the Bayeux Tapestry, it can be admired here for decades to come.”
Broadcast Timeline
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