Celebrating 1000 years of history!
The Maldon Embroidery, formerly known as The ‘Millenium Embroidery’ was masterminded and designed by the nationally known local artist Humphrey Spender. It is alive with vibrant colour and originality of design.
Humprey Spender insisted that it should not be called a ‘tapestry’ as he thought this was associated with something “faded and dun-coloured”. Indeed, the Embroidery is the complete opposite of that.
The Embroidery consists of seven magnificent panels measuring 42 feet in length and 26 inches deep. It commemorates the 1000th anniversary of The Battle of Maldon in 991 fought between the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings (Danes), with images of the history of Maldon from that time until its unveiling in 1991.
Working under the leadership of Humprey Spender and Lee Cash, 86 ladies completed the Embroidery in three and a half years maintaining a phenomenal standard of work, using a wide variety of styles. It was a “labour of love”.
Souvenir postcard packs and individual postcards, depicting scenes from each of the seven panels of The Embroidery, are for sale at The Maeldune Heritage Centre. Display books are available for visitor use explaining the content of each panel. A brochure on the Maldon Embroidery is available to purchase at the Centre and supporting leaflets on the Battle of Maldon and Battle of Maldon Poem are on sale for further reading. The Embroidery leaflet is available in Dutch and French translations.
