Killerton volunteers stitch new life into old chairs

Dedicated National Trust volunteers are spending hundreds of hours creating hand-stitched tapestries for chairs inside Killerton House.

The group are revamping 16 chairs each with an intricate design of the Acland family’s coats of arms.

The coats of arms help to tell the story of the Acland’s – an old Devon family dating back to the 12th century.

The designs also identify the chairs that visitors can use and add to the welcoming feeling inside the Aclands’ former family home.

The seat pads will have hardwearing needlepoint designs that are unique to Acland Baronets, Knights and Gentlemen between the 16th and 20th centuries. They also help to identify the four heiresses who contributed to the family wealth.

The local volunteers are reupholstering the replica Chippendale and carver chairs to extend their use for another 30 years. Planning started in 2015 and the group of 16 have been working since January to bring the designs to life.

Grace Essex, Adult Education Tutor who is coordinating the project said: “I wanted to create something special for visitors to sit on that was distinct from other chairs in the collection. It’s great working with the volunteers and we all love what we’re doing – knowing that they will be in the house for another 30 years to come is a real bonus. It took around 90 hours to stitch each coat of arms. We’re cracking on with the backgrounds now which will take another 100 hours or so.”

She continued: “We’re delighted the project was supported by a £1000 donation from the National Trust Sidmouth Centre for materials and a further £200 from Killerton. We’re hoping to unveil the finished pieces in February 2017”.

John Gaylor, a visitor turned volunteer, has an extensive knowledge of heraldry. He sourced images of the Acland coats of arms which were transformed into detailed charts using ‘Photostitch’ for the team to accurately follow.

He said: “Years ago, I identified a portrait of Eleanor Acland by its coat of arms and I let Killerton know. It was a chance visit that led me to this fascinating project. Burke’s Peerage provided me with a comprehensive pedigree of the Acland family. Researching the heraldry wasn’t difficult – just a matter of knowing where to look – but drawing the designs was a challenge.”

The intricate needlepoints use wool from Appleton’s Wools, an English company based in Buckinghamshire. The canvas is high quality 100% 16-hole linen sourced from Exeter.

The group sometimes work inside Killerton House allowing visitors to see work in progress. If you would like to find out more about this project please email killerton@nationaltrust.org.uk.