Ufford
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
Parish Web Site
IntroductionIn January 1999 a suggestion was made that Ufford should celebrate the new Millennium with a wall hanging. Meetings were arranged and a group of people committed themselves to the project. It was decided to provide a tapestry which would portray the life and environment of Ufford at the turn of the century; to involve as many of the community as possible and provide a long-lasting historical memorial for the village.
By March an outline scale drawing had been produced by Pearl Earrey and decisions were then taken on what to include as an appropriate and accurate record of Ufford in the year 2000. Each design would have to fit into a precisely measured space, Eventually 19 different structures, 24 organisations or trades plus a topography of the village for a centrepiece were chosen.
In May the basic design and costings were submitted to the Millennium Commission (via Suffolk ACRE) for a grant, and in September an amount of £3,000 was given to undertake the project. Subsequently Sheila Dunmore, Pearl Earrey and Zena Tibbenham were awarded Fellowships by the Millennium Commission for their work as Project Leaders,
The Tapestry is a compilation of artwork, graphics, photographs, hand-drawn logos, aerial photographs etc, and was undertaken by many members of the community. These were finally positioned onto the scale-drawing by January 2000. The whole design was then transferred to the canvases, together with colour charts and wool colour coding.
The first stitching of the centrepiece began on 24th March, all nine canvases being completed by the end of August. The unveiling ceremony took place on 26 November 2000.
On completion it was registered with the National Needlework Record under the "Stitch 2000 Project" and given an official tag number ST2SFK002C. This ensures protection and identification for the future.
The CENTREPIECE is in map style, taken from Ordnance Survey Maps and the latest aerial colour photos from Suffolk County Council.
The middle section shows the village of Ufford within its parish boundary, the main roads and footpaths, fields, sown, ploughed or fallow; the railway line and river with marshland. The small yellow triangle represents the daffodils planted by the Parish Council for the Millennium. Built-up areas of School Lane, Spring Lane and Lower Ufford are shown in two-tone brown. The cross in the bottom left marks the site of the medieval Sogenhoe Chapel; adjacent is an avenue of poplar trees showing the now disused road out of Ufford.
The background, from left to right, shows the village sign with the Suffolk Punch horse (the unbroken written pedigree goes back to 1768 to a stallion known as Crisp's Horse of Ufford, which makes this the oldest recorded pedigree horse in the world). The pet llamas in Byng Hall Lane; the monkey puzzle tree from Parklands estate; the flag showing the new golf course; then magpies and foxes which are in abundance. The helicopter reflects our overhead environment; bottom right depicts alder and plane trees, which are part of our landscape. Moving up, the millwheel represents the watermill located along East Lane, beside one of our herons, whose flight-paths take them over our garden ponds! The tractor, sheep and cattle are evidence of our agricultural activities. Finishing in the top right-hand corner with the compass and the commonly seen green woodpecker.
The NARROW BANDS contain designs for 24 village leisure pursuits, organisations or trades currently operating and/or advertising in the Ufford Punch Newsletter.
The LARGE CARTOUCHES represent some of our most prominent buildings still in daily use, plus structures of historical or architectural interest. The famous font cover being shown in simple relief, the pelican as a separate design in the corner. The old school is shown before renovation. Modern buildings are portrayed by the Pavilion on the Recreation Ground, (complete with recycling banks for paper, glass and cans), and the unusual rooftops of Ufford Park Hotel complex, part of which is within the Ufford boundary.
Indoor Bowls, Football Club, Gardening Club, Whist, Neighbourhood Watch, Women's Institute, Ufford Parish Council, Friendship Club, Art Club, Bellringers, Keep Fit, Drama Group plus National Anthem.
Crown Public House (part), Shop/Post Office, Almshouses, Avenue Cottage (School Lane)
Pavilion, St Mary's Parish Hall, White Lion Public House, Sickhouses (part)
Children's Activities, Crown Nursery, Nichol's Trucks, Electrical Services, Local Builders, Domestic Cleaning Service, Motor Mechanic Repairs, TV & Electronic Repairs, Beekeeping at Almshouses, Catering, Turkey Farm, Chimney Sweep
Ufford Park Hotel Rooftops, Old Chapel, Old School, Font Cover, St Mary's Church (floodlit)
Ufford Place Gates, Crown Farmhouse, River Bridges, Old Telephone Box, Whipping merula Stocks
The FOUR CORNERS show the seasons with wild and domestic flora and fauna to be found in Ufford in the year 2000. Small abundant flora such as clover, daisies, buttercups etc. being contained within the "field" areas.
Spring
Summer
Summer
Winter
PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR: Pearl Earrey
MISTRESS OF THE WOOLS: Sheila Dunmore
ART AND DESIGN: Zena Tibbenham
PRINCIPAL TAPISERS: Sheila Dunmore, Pearl Earrey, Valerie Levett, Eileen Mann, Joyce Rossiter, Zena Tibbenham
FINISHING: Mr & Mrs Cooper, Millstone Phoenix
PROCESS: Millstone Artisan
FRAMING: M J Spink
LIGHTING: Beacon Lights
SPONSORED BY: MILLENNIUM AWARDS COMMISSION
Overall Worked Area: 4ft x 3ft (1,728 in2), 1.22m x 0.91m (11,148cm2)
Canvas: Single weave 12 stitches per inch
Wool: Appleton's Crewel Wool (a "palette" of 50+ colours) using tent stitch throughout
Stitches: 248,832 (144 stitches per in2)
Project Duration: 23 months
Sewing Time: 21 weeks
Average Work Rate: 11,850 stitches per week
Principal Tapisers:6
Total Contributors: 48
SIGNATURES OF ALL CONTRIBUTORS ARE CONTAINED IN THE UFFORD MILLENNIUM SIGNATURE BOOK
