The Abergavenny Tapestry

We visited Abergavenny today one of my favourite Welsh towns and called in to St. Mary's Church which is described as the Westminster Abbey of South Wales, it was founded in 1087 as a Benedictine Priory. The font just inside the door dates back to the 7th century, incredible.

See images here

I'd heard of the Abergavenny tapestry as it was close to St.Mary's I had a walk over to the Tithe barn where the tapestry is shown to have a look.
Wow, this thing is really impressive. It was made by 60 local volunteers to celebrate the millennium. From conception to completion the project lasted some six years, and the stitching alone took three years and ten months to complete - not surprising when you learn that the tapestry is 24 feet (8 metres) wide! 400 different shades of wool were used.

The tapestry, which was designed to celebrate 1,000 years of Abergavenny's history, include:

St Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order of monks. St Mary's Priory, founded in 1087, as a Benedictine priory.

One of the world's finest pieces of medieval sculpture, the Jesse tree is a 15th-century carving of Jesse, the biblical father of King David and ancestor of Christ. It rests in St Mary's Priory Church and is carved out of a single piece of oak

Owain Glyndwr, the leader of the Welsh rebellion against the English in the 15th century, who sacked Abergavenny in 1404.

Sir Harry Llewellyn, the famous showjumper and his horse Foxhunter, who won Olympic gold in 1952.

The effigy of Margaret, betrothed to John de Hastings at the age of 12. Her pet squirrel is said to have caused her death in a fall from the castle ramparts when she was 13. Her tomb lies in St Mary's Priory Church.

More Tapestry here

This was a great morning lets not mention the rugby this afternoon :-)