Alton Tapestry

In celebration of Alton Village Hall’s 50th Anniversary and to coincide with the national touring exhibit of the Bayeux Tapestry, local artist Kim Greenwood is helping Alton create its own tapestry in the Bayeux narrative style. Supported by ACE and Alton Village Hall, the Alton Tapestry will document the village’s rich heritage and community, and when complete, will be permanently displayed in the Village Hall.

A top-down view of a craft workspace. A spiral sketchbook sits open to a black-and-white line drawing featuring "Alton Cinema" and a stone roundhouse lock-up. The notebook is surrounded by colorful embroidery floss skeins, sewing threads, scissors, buttons, a measuring tape, and vibrant floral tile patterns.

The Design

The tapestry will be made up of four panels, designed by Louie Young, each featuring different landmarks and aspects of the village’s community and heritage. The narrative begins with a depiction of the Iron Rooms, which served as Alton’s community space until it was replaced by the Village Hall in 1967.

Each panel features a distinct element: a railway track, a carriageway, a river, or a rollercoaster track. These linear designs flow through the tapestry, representing not only Alton’s past and present but its ongoing evolution.

A long, wide panoramic coloring page banner showcasing a continuous black-and-white landscape of landmarks in Alton. Empty square sticker placeholders form a winding trail across all four joined scenes, which include a cinema, historic towers, a domed stone lock-up, multiple churches, a garden allotment, and a village hall.

Augustus Pugin

The Victorian Gothic architect A.W.N. Pugin left an indelible mark on both the landscape of Alton and its heritage. It is therefore fitting that the tapestry also draws inspiration directly from his work by influencing the colour scheme, guiding the inclusion of three of his iconic buildings, and inspiring the square ‘tiles’ that feature throughout.

How do I take part?

The design contains a number of squares that we would love all the different organisations and groups in the village to take ownership of to create a piece that represents them.

Accordingly, we would love to have you on-board and represented in the final piece so that tapestry can showcase all the wonderful things that make up our community.

Don’t sew? Not a problem! Although we strongly encourage you to have a go, you are also more than welcome to enlist family, friends, or other members of your group to create your square for you.

If you would like to take part or have any additional questions not covered here please contact us by clicking on the button below or email: altoncommunityevents@gmail.com

A close-up, top-down shot of a mixed-media art project in progress. Fabric flowers made of yellow, textured sunflower material and green patterned cloth are layered over a black-and-white line drawing of a person gardening, alongside spools of grey embroidery thread.

Where do I start?

The squares come in two sizes: 9cm x 9cm and 11cm x 11cm. We can supply the materials along with ongoing support and advice to help you complete your square.

We will also hold regular get-togethers where you can work on your squares with others taking part, receive support, and check the tapestry’s progress. You are also very welcome to work on it in your own time and space; the choice is yours.

What form can it take?

Any! What will make the tapestry so rich is using a variety of techniques, from quilting to cross-stitch, knitting to embroidery, and everything in between. The primary aim is to celebrate people's skills and include as many of you as possible. The tapestry is also open to other disciplines such as ceramics and gold work; just let us know what you would love to do.

What colours can I use?

Our only guidelines are that pieces (where possible) use tones from our suggested colour pallet of Pugin inspired colours to ensure cohesion throughout the final piece.

Please note that these colours are only a guide and do not exclude the use of colours that may feature in your logo or branding.

A color chart showing 12 rounded square swatches arranged in a 3-by-4 grid. Each swatch includes an ID code starting with MY01 to MY12 and a specific descriptive color name, ranging from Yellow Stone and Red Cross to Georgia Pine and Zane Grey.

When do I need to have my piece finished by?

We plan to exhibit the work in progress in the New Year; therefore, if you would like your contribution to be included in this display, please make sure it is submitted to us by:

30th November 2026

All remaining pieces will need to be finalised and finished by: 8th February 2027

Can children take part?

Absolutely! We are planning workshops with local groups such as the Scouts, Brownies, playgroup, and the school so that the younger members of the community can be part of it. If your child does not attend any of these groups, please let us know so that we can facilitate their inclusion.

Want to play a bigger part?

Besides the squares, we are also looking for people to create the larger elements and local landmarks. If you fancy taking on a bigger project, please take a look at what is still available below and let us know what has captured your imagination. Templates, material, and support will also be provided for the larger pieces.

Resources

Here you will find reference images, colours, panel layouts and element allocations.

Panel No. 1

1. Small tile 1 - TBA

2. Large tile 1 - RESERVED

3. Small tile 2 - TBA

4. Large tile 2 - RESERVED

5. Small tile 3 - TBA

6. Large tile 3 - W.I.

7. Small tile 4 - Julie, Pugin tile

8. Large tile 4 - W.I. Logo

9. Small tile 5 - TBA

10. The Iron Room - TBA

11. Alton Village Sign - TBA

12. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

13. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

13a. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

14. Trees - TBA

15. Alton Towers - Alton WI

Panel No. 2

16. Large tile 1 - The Bay Tree, Anita

17. Small tile 1 - TBA

18. Large tile 2 - RESERVED

19. Small tile 2 - TBA

20. Large tile 3 - Alton Pensioners, Angela

21. Small tile 3 - TBA

22. Large tile 4 - Lyn, Pugin tile

23. Small tile 4 - TBA

24. Large tile 5 - Ramblers Retreat, Helen & Dot

25. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

26. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

27. The Roundhouse - Barbara

28. Tree - Kate D

29. Tree - Kate D

30. St John's - TBA

31. Chained Oak canopy pt 1 - Liz (chains)

32. Chained Oak body pt 1 - Kim

Panel No. 3

31. Chained Oak canopy pt 2 - Liz (chains)

32. Chained Oak body pt 2 - Kim

33. Small tile 1 - Chained Oak B&B

34. Large tile 1 - Louie - Talbot Hound / Pugin After Dark

35. Small tile 2 - Alton Camera Club, Lee

36. Large tile 2 - Crafty Cuppa, Jacquie

37. Small tile 3 - Crafty Cuppa, Deborah

38. Large tile 3 - Bellringers, Wendy

39. Small tile 4 - TBA

40. Large tile 4 - Liz, Pugin tile

41. Small tile 5 - TBA

42. The Flag Tower - TBA

43. Tree - TBA

44. Tree - TBA

45. St Peter's - TBA

46. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

46a. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

47. Alton Castle - TBA

Panel No. 4

48. Large tile 1 - Alton Amblers

49. Small tile 1 - TBA

50. Large tile 2 - Bread & More

51. Small tile 2 - ACE, Sue

52. Large tile 3 - Catrina

53. Small tile 3 - Catrina

54. Large tile 4 - Liz W

55. Small tile 4 - Yoga, Karen

56. Large tile 5 - Handbells, Wendy

57. Butterfly - Crafty Cuppa, Gwen

58. Veg basket - Crafty Cuppa, Nicky & Sarah

59. Community Allotments - Crafty Cuppa, Wendy (house), Gwen (Scarecrow)

60. Flowers - Crafty Cuppa, Deborah, Beryl & Dorothy

61. Apple wanging - TBA

62. Alton Bridge - TBA

63. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds

64. Toothill & Earl's Rock - Lyn

65. Village Hall - Angela

66. Cloud - Sarah B - All clouds