DEEP in rural Herefordshire lies a small, 13th-century church. Accessed by a quiet road and surrounded by fields, you would never guess that, for hundreds of years, it housed one of the most precious treasures of the Tudor age—an exquisite piece of embroidery, now believed to be the only known surviving fragment of Elizabeth I’s wardrobe.
For generations, the 16th-century fabric had been used as the altar cloth for St Faith’s Bacton. It had originated from Blanche Perry, a local noblewoman who had been a personal attendant and close confidant of Elizabeth I. Although Blanche was buried in Westminster, she had intended Bacton to be her final resting place and commissioned an effigy of herself kneeling beside her queen, which can still be seen today. It clearly shows a connection, via Blanche, between the monarch and this little church.
The parishioners who had carefully preserved their extraordinary altar cloth had long speculated about its origins. It’s easy to see why it was held in such high esteem by its keepers—exquisitely stitched birds, animals, insects and flowers twine their way across a background of precious metal, making it mesmerising to behold.
However, it wasn’t until 2015 that Eleri Lynn, the curator of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, happened across a photograph of this curious relic when she was researching Welsh connections to the Tudor Court.
Denne historien er fra September 25, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 25, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
