Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and, before the Reformation, Saint Swithun. It is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and centre of the Diocese of Winchester.

Sybil Blunt, during the 1930s, designed its pictorial choir stall cushions and kneelers focusing on Winchester’s history.   Her example triggered an explosion of folk art church kneelers across the country as congregations designed their own kneelers illustrating their local history, their local environments and their local buildings.

Sybil Blunt was supported by the formidable Louisa Pesel who trained and supervised the Winchester stitchers.  Louisa Pesel herself preferred traditional geometric designs and repetitive designs to pictorial ones.  It was her designs for the chapel in the Bishop’s Palace that prompted the Winchester Dean to invite her to design canvaswork for the Cathedral chancel.

Louisa Pesel said  that she would bring in her ‘assistant’, Sybil Blunt.  Sybil Blunt was an innovator and proved to be the outstanding textile designer of the day.  Twentieth century folk art in this country is her legacy.  The first six illustrations are of one of Sybil Blunt’s kneelers and of three of her seat cushions.  Be sure to click on the seat cushions to bring up the full picture.  The last two represent Louisa Pesel’s design for the Epiphany Chapel requiring extra canvaswork – designed by the stitcher – as stiffening on the base.