The Great Tapestry of Scotland

The Great Tapestry of Scotland, an amazing history of this proud country stitched in exquisite detail by its equally proud people, is currently on display in the main hall of the Scottish Parliament building. This incredible work of art has been created by over 1,000 volunteers stitching away for more than 50,000 hours. From the Shetland Isles to the Borders folk have worked tirelessly together to produce what is believed to be the world's longest embroidered tapestry, in one of the biggest community arts projects ever to be undertaken in Scotland. Over three hundred miles of wollen yarn - enough to cover the length of Scotland and down into neighbouring England - have been sewn onto embroidered cloth in a variety of different stitches, and to great effect.
A mind-boggling 470 feet in length and featuring more than 160 panels each telling its own story, nothing has been omitted from a pictorial history of this nation. From the
formation of the land to present times, it is all there in
wonderful detail. Events that have marked the passsing of the centuries - the coming of the Vikings, Bannockburn, the Jacobite Rising, two World Wars to name but a few - hang alongside the famous and the infamous, sports, technology, traditions and tales of survival and confrontation. Where else but the Great Tapestry of Scotland would you see William Wallace, Robbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh mingle with golf, football, rugby, shinty and curling? Great Scottish inventions and miracles of modern engineering pop up here and there - James Watt and the steam engine, and the Forth Rail Bridge are just two examples of northern enterprise and innovation.
So how did this all come about? The tapestry was the brainchild of popular novelist Alexander McCall Smith - a definite favourite of mine - who developed this very ambitious project in collaboration with eminent historian Alistair Moffat, talented artist Andrew Crummy and nimble-fingered stitch co-ordinator Dorie Wilkie. And the result of hour upon hour of design, planning, and sewing? A simply stunning depiction of the history of Scotland covering everything from the county's defining events to the simplicity of everyday life and the people who toiled to make Scotland all it is today. Wander around the many panels, see witches being burned at the stake, sheep being cloned, families struggling through the Depression, Archie Gemmill scoring in the 1978 World Cup, the sinking of ships and centuries of religious strife and uncertainty. This is a wonderful legacy for Scotland and its people, a tribute to the patience, perseverence and painstaking creativity of its executors, an unique record and an outstanding achievement. This is something everyone should see, whether local or visitor. All-embracing, there are phrases in Latin, Gaelic and English interwoven within the panels, and informative descriptions beneath each picture. I loved it, but perhaps the final word should go to its "father and mentor", Alexander McCall Smith.

"Now we have it - a record of our history, designed by an artist whose eye has captured the essence of Scotland, and stitched with love by hundreds of people throughout the land."

Hear, hear!!