Millennium Tapestry: A retrospective exhibition launched on 24 April

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:

An exhibition of eight historic tapestries on large canvases was launched in east London on 24 April by the charity Care for St Anne’s. The millennium tapestries depict the diverse cultural heritage of the borough of Tower Hamlets from the Roman era to the 2000s.

On the opening day of the launch, traditional Bengali snacks were served to visitors. The women of Stitches exhibited their work in a workshop from 11am to 2pm. During the opening, a number of Bengali women who worked on the tapestries came along to show their needlework skills and talked about their experience of working with Stitches in Time and how they were empowered to go on to do further work, which for some led to employment.

To celebrate the Millennium, 50 tapestries were created. Eight pieces are being exhibited out of 50. More than a thousand people from the East End, including local schools, community groups, and corporate organisations, participated in their creation.

The exhibition, which runs every Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4pm until September 2025, is a collaboration between Stiches in Time, based in the old Limehouse Town Hall, and St Annes’s Church, Limehouse.