The Bristol Tapestry Talk

Join Sheila Dawkins, who worked on the Bristol tapestry in 1976, as she shares the story of the people whose passion project it was.

The Bristol Tapestry was the idea of Mrs Jean Tanner and Mrs Marjorie Bleasedale, who in the late 1960s wanted to record important events from the city’s past. The events chosen and the story they tell reflect the time at which the tapestry was made. 

By 1976 the project was complete, having involved 90 local people and a wide variety of embroidery stitches, appliqué techniques and screen printing. The four panels, which total 22 metres in length, depict nearly 1000 years in 27 scenes. In 1999 the Tapestry came to its present home at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

Since 1976, more people have become aware of the negative impacts of Bristol’s participation in and profit from colonisation and the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Africans. A tapestry made today might better reflect the contributions of a wider range of people to Bristol’s history.

You can find out more about the rich and diverse history of Bristol at M Shed, the city’s history museum.

Dates for 2026

• Friday 5 June
• Friday 3 July
• Friday 7 August
• Friday 4 September
• Friday 2 October
• Friday 6 November
• Friday 4 December

Talks start promptly at 2pm and last approximately 35 minutes. Booking in advance is recommended.