Future Exhibition Venue Enquiries ....

Community groups or Venues interested in displaying the Tapestry are very much invited to be in touch with Tour Director Arran Johnston - email: ajohnston@battleofprestonpans1745.org  N.B. Plans for a Permanent Home in Prestonpans are being madebut they will not be complete until after 2020 so opportunities for travelling exhibitions are readily available on request.

2017  The tapestry will be displayed in the Scottish Parliament @ Holyrood from June 21st until July 20th; and at Lorient, Brittany, France from 4-13th August, @ Festival Interceltique [FIL] which for 2017 is L'Annee de L'Ecosse. It will remain, by request, at La Salle d'Expositions until September 2nd.

2016 During 2016 Tapestry exhibitions were held at the 3 Harbours Festival in June @ Prestonpans Community Centre and at the Prestoungrange Gothenburg from August 19th till September 23rd.

2015  The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry Returned to New Lanark Mills: January 27th/ March 19th and heads south of the Border to Riverside Gallery at Walton on Thames from October 14th till November 15th.

The exhibition headed south of the Border to Walton-on-Thames from October 14th/ November 15th @ the Riverhouse Art Gallery. It is presented in two parts:

 Part 1 - Wednesday 14 October - Sunday 1 November Part 2 - Tuesday 3 November - Sunday 15 November

Wednesday 14 October 7pm:  Opening Day Talk

 Discover the fascinating story of this inspirational community arts project at a special illustrated talk by Arran Johnston, historian to the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust, with Dr Gordon Prestoungrange, Baron of Prestoungrange, founding Chairman of the Battle of Prestonpans Trust.  [N.B. The tapestry was designed by Andrew Crummy, who is also designing our own Mount Felix Tapestry depicting the story of the No 2 New Zealand general hospital which treated 27,000 wounded soldiers from NZ during WWI (more info: www.mountfelixtapestry. co.uk). ]

 Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 11am - 4pm

2014 The first major exhibition ran from 25th January/ 30th March at Cockenzie House and was followed by display in Perth, at St John's Kirk from June 11th/ July 27th.

2013 Tapestry Exhibitions again held across Scotland ... and then to Bayeux

The first major exhibition ran over Easter at New Lanark Mills World Heritage Centre from 12th March/ 9th April and from April 22nd/ 24th it was at Pinkie House where the Prince stayed the night after his Victory. Immediately after that it moved to Paisley Thread Mill Museum, Anchor Mill, from April 27th/ May 4th. The Tapestry then exhibited for the duration of the 2013 3 Harbours Festival at Prestonpans Community Centre from 1st to 8th June [Sunday excepted].  It was at Inverness Museum & Arts Gallery from June 14th/ 29th and at Kingussie's Iona Gallery from July 6th/ July 29th.

The Bayeux Exhibition, at La Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux, home of the world famous tapestry that inspired our own, ran from Saturday September 14th till Sunday November 3rd . Volunteers, especially welcome if speaking French, were invited to join in a magnificent Scottish Fanfare in Bayeux to publicise the exhibition in the local community there.

2012: Touring Continued to France and across Scotland

Widescale touring and associated fund raising for the Tapestry's permanent home in Prestonpans continued apace.  Exhibitions began at Cockenzie House 11th/ 19th February and saw a second visit to Paxton House from March 21st/ April 18th including Alan Breck Re-enactments over Easter. The first visit to France was a great success arranged by Jean Caevar at the Hippodrome of Pornichet/ St Nazaire -from whence the Prince sailed in 1745 from April 29th/ May 6th. It made a swift return for a weekend at Prestonpans Town Hall on May 19th/ 20th when HM's Lord High Commissioner of the Church of Scotland was amongst the visitors. By popular demand there was a return to St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh from June 4th to August 31st including the Edinburgh Festival. During the annual re-enactments of the battle the tapestry was exhibited at Prestongrange Heritage Museum alongside the injured skull of redcoat Captain Clarke. The final months saw the tapestry at Corby's Grampian Club from November 25th/ 30th in support of the new sister artwork, The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry and a brief appearance of the title panel ar Swakestone Bridge near Derby in early December.

2011: Scotland & Across the Border

The schedule of major public exhibitions in 2011 included the Scottish StoryTelling Centre at Netherbow Port, Edinburgh, February 12th/ 19th; a Spring visit to Paxton House April 1st/ 27th - excepting 9th/ 10th - finally bringing the Tapestry to the Borders; Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery from May 7th/ June 5th; St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, from June 11th/ August 31st  - specifically targeting school groups throughout June and throughout July/ August with special activities during the Edinburgh Fringe and a visit by Culture Chair from Bayeux; St Mary's  Church in Haddington 10th/ 15th September; the Knitting & Stitching Show @ Alexandra Palace London October 6th/ 9th and also @ the International Exhibition Centre Harrogate November 24th/ 27th; and finally, a return to its home in Prestonpans for a week prior to Christmas.  

2010: Prestonpans Tapestry's 'Launch' Parade

July 23rd / September 26th 2010 - across the Highlands & East Coast

The finished Tapestry was paraded along the routes the Prince and Sir John Cope took in 1745

The schedule is given below but if you LINK HERE you will go to the full anlaysis of reactions along the route as more than 10,000 Visitors came to the venues over the 27 days.

Detailed reports from each venue are available at the LINK here above [scroll to end of text] , or directly by scrolling down the 'News & Reports' to be found at the button on the left here.

      * Following the above nationwide 'Launch Parade' The Prestonpans Tapestry returned to the artist's Cockenzie Studio for maintenance and minor repairs. Three specialist showings were then arranged for the balance of 2010 - The Dovecote in Edinburgh [November 10th/ 25th & 30th/ December 11th]]; Cockenzie Power Station [November 27th/ 28th]; and a private Holyrood Lobby showing for MSPs and Parliamentary staff at the Scottish Parliament December 14th/18th..

      Requests for the Tapestry to be shown at other locations are always welcome, and more dates are

     currently under discussion. See below for 'general design' but feel welcome to propose alternatives if  

     you have/ know a venue you believe could display the Tapestry!

1. At selected locations where local stitchers can put the Trust in touch with local 'interested parties' local mini-re-enactments [LMRs] will be given and media attention sought for the contribution of local stitchers. Any local community group able and keen to host such an LMR should inform Arran Johnston as soon as possible @ ajohnston@battleofprestonpans1745.org
2. As well as such LMRs, an Exhibition of the completed Tapestry will be given with an introductory talk. N.B. Such Exhibitions can be given with or without an accompanying LMR. Such Exhibitions require ample space for display - see below for details of how the 104 metres will be presented.

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1. The Exhibition is intended as an occasion with a modest Entrance Fee and/ or a 'Membership' donation to the Trust's Charity. It will tell the whole story of the Tapestry and particularise any local panel[s]. The Tapestry will be hung for viewing howsoever. All LMRs will have an associated Exhibition but other localities can have the Exhibition without need of an LMR.
2. Putting up/ taking down the Tapestry is simplicity itself, achievable in modest sized halls. To enable this the Tapestry will be stitched together as 21 x 5 metre widths - less a wee bit [total length overall of 104 metres]. The 5 metre lengths are easily transported and hung.
   The Tapestry is Velcro taped at the top and bottom of its backing cloth and this Velcro attaches to Velcro-receptive exhibition panels that are each a metre wide. Since both the backs and fronts of each exhibition panel can be used, some 52 x 1 metre exhibition boards will be assembled. These can either run up and down the Exhibition space or in a zig zag pattern. They have sturdy legs.
   
3. The 'Official' Prestonpans Tapestry Guide is published as a paperback/ cloth covered book. It is a 275pp full colour Guide including all panels shown with the story behind each of them, plus details and pictures of the stitchers themselves. The soft back version of the Guide has a RRP of Sterling 20/ cloth Sterling 30 + any necessary postage and packaging. [Available at the Online Boutique button on left of this page.]
4. A CD from Greentrax with traditional Songs & Music from the Campaign to Prestonpans is also available for sale and well as a DVD Stitches for Charlie - both Sterling 12 each + p&p. [Available at the Online Boutique button.]
5. The Final Home for The Prestonpans Tapestry is to be the Battle's 'Living History Centre' in Prestonpans. Funding for this has not yet been achieved, but an Appeal is now ongoing. By admiring the beautifully embroidered scenes in the Tapestry, the lessons of Youthful Hope and Ambition exemplified by the Prince's Campaign and Victory at Prestonpans in 1745 will become ever better known and better understood. The Trustees themselves have just such Hope and Ambition that the Scottish nation's Living History Centre will soon be achieved in Prestonpans.
6. Educational Resources echoing the Scottish history curriculum for use by school groups and by youngsters visiting the exhibitions with parents are already available on line [see button to left here] and additions will continually be made.