Prestonpans Tapestry is coming to Holyrood

The tapestry is one of the largest in the world and illustrates the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans against the redcoat British Army on 21 September 1745.

The artist Andrew Crummy, who also created The Great Tapestry of Scotland, worked with hundreds of stitchers in Scotland, France, Australia and the USA to bring the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites to life in this piece of art.

The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, said: “After the enormous success of The Great Tapestry of Scotland exhibition, we hope that The Prestonpans Tapestry will also be of great interest to our visitors.

“This free exhibition is a great opportunity for visitors to follow in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie, his journey to Scotland and the spectacular Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans.

“Families, and visitors of all ages, will be able to track the Prince’s steps across Scotland from almost 300 years ago. In fact, the Palace of Holyroodhouse even makes an appearance in the tapestry as one of the Prince’s stops after his success on the battlefield in Prestonpans.”

Andrew Crummy, who created The Prestonpans Tapestry with a community of stitchers, said: “It is truly an honour to have The Prestonpans Tapestry displayed in the Scottish Parliament. As a community arts project, it illustrates what happens when many people come together and use their creativity to create a large scale artwork.

“In particular, it’s great to celebrate the creativity of the many women who played their part in this tapestry with their amazing embroidery skills.”

The exhibition will run from 21 June – 20 July 2017 and entry is FREE