Lord Lieutenant marks end of bed project
It has been 13 long years in the making but, after hours of painstaking stitching using some of the finest materials the world can offer, a project to enhance Shropshire's most famous bed is finally complete.
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The 16th century Corbet bed was built in 1593 for Sir Andrew Corbet, of Moreton Corbet Castle, near Shawbury, and in recent years has been on display in Rowley's House, in Shrewsbury.
In an effort to restore it to its former glory, dozens of stitchers and sewers have been working to recreate the intricate hangings and bedspread which would have adorned it when it was first in use.
And yesterday the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and his wife were given the honour of sewing the final two stitches in the valances for the bed so it can be enjoyed by future generations.
Algernon Heber Percy and his wife Jane went to the home of Margaret Owen in Hereford Road, Shrewsbury, yesterday to apply the stitches and officially mark the end of the Corbet Bed Project.
It was launched in 1997 by a group of volunteers, including Mrs Owen, who decided to create a new set of curtains, cover and valances for the artefact.
More than 200 embroiderers were involved in the project and only the finest silks and velvets, many of them specially shipped over from Paris, were used. The fabric cost more than £2,000. Elements of the design were copied from contemporary fabrics on display in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Mrs Owen said they were delighted to reach the end of the project.
She said: "None of this could have been done without the help of the 200 women or so who have given their free time so generously.
"Everyone who has seen the bed has been amazed. It will be going on display at the county museum at Rowley's House and it's going to explain why all the things that are on it are there because there are lots of interesting aspects for the children."
The completed tapestry will be used as a valance, which will be placed under the mattress and hang down around the sides of the bed. It contains 317,196 stitches, with 324 stitches in every square inch. Six curtains and a bedspread have already been completed and are on display on the bed.
The bed, although originally built for the Corbet family, is owned by the Victoria & Albert Museum but has been on long term loan to Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.
