Issue 228 · Summer 2026·Kazakh embroidered suede robes, Two 16th-century weavings linked by powerful art dealers, An inscribed Caucasian dowry rug and its matrimonial symbolism
The twelve thousand year history of Scotland has been stitched into a 143 metre, 160-panel embroidered wall hanging that will be on show at the Scottish Parliament until 21 September 2013
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Lucy Upward
·2 min read·05 Sept 2013·
The twelve thousand year history of Scotland, from the emergence of Scottish land from melting ice around 8500BC, to the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, has been stitched into a 143 metre, 160-panel embroidered wall hanging that will be on show at the Scottish Parliament until 21 September 2013.
The idea behind The Great Scottish Tapestry, which is considered to be the longest such hanging in the world – 70 metres longer than the famous Bayeaux Tapestry in Normandy – came from writer Alexander McCall Smith, author of the popular The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, who commented "It occurred to me it would be a very good idea to have a tapestry depicting the whole history of Scotland." Edinburgh-based artist Andrew Crummy designed each panel, which were then traced onto Scottish linen ready to be sewn.
Each panel took 400 hours to complete. The one thousand voluntary stitchers were largely women – though one panel was completed by an all-male group – and came from across the breadth of Scotland, aged between four to 94, from experienced embroiderers to those new to the art.
The story of Scotland had to undergo a somewhat drastic edit to be reduced to 160 events, each with a panel of its own. Being an embroidery, the history of textiles is an important feature, with King David I of Scotland fostering the wool trade in the 1130s, the invention of the modern kilt in 1723, 18th century home weaving, reeling and spinning, and Borders tweed all earning themselves a dedicated panel.
Wars, battles, kings and queens, famous faces, places and inventions are all part of the rich historical story. Sir William Wallace, author Blind Harry, Mary Queen of Scots, James Watt, Robert Burns, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Robert Louis Stevenson and even Dolly the cloned sheep all show their faces while a panel has been added to commemorate Andy Murray's recent win at Wimbledon. It will be possible to add panels as Scotland's momentous occasions unfold, which means that the world's longest 'tapestry' is set to grow further!
The Great Tapestry of Scotland will be on show in Holyrood until 21 September. The intention is for it to then tour throughout Scotland and the UK, then to America and Canada.
