May 2021
Putting Athelstan House on the map
Athelstan House tapestry can now be seen on Explore Malmesbury website
Athelstan House is one of the local landmarks featured in a recently launched Malmesbury initiative. The visitor experience, ‘Explore Malmesbury’, is a community project telling the town’s stories at the places they happened.
In 2019, residents, carers, friends, relatives and members of the Knit and Natter Group at Athelstan House created a beautiful tapestry depicting scenes from the town’s history and now this can be seen in the ‘Artist’s View Trail’, part of Explore Malmesbury. Other trails include a ‘Highlights Trail’, ‘Malmesbury’s famous Abbey as an immersive Tour’ and a fun ‘Family Quiz’.
The Athelstan House tapestry was the brainchild of the residents reminiscing about areas of Malmesbury that they remembered from their earlier years. The idea was to make it a collaborative effort from everyone at Athelstan House, from the residents and their carers to the families. One of the scenes created is a wooden depiction of the Abbey, crafted by one of the carers. There are knitted monks and the War Memorial, made by members of the Knit and Natter Group. Residents talked about their memories as they created the tapestry, from the Apostle Spoon to the Flying Monk pub. Local children also joined some of the sessions, helping the residents with some of the scenes.
The tapestry is a sensory mural that can be accessed through sight, touch and smell as lavender was added, enabling those who have lost their sight to interact with the mural through touch and smell. At the time of its completion in 2019, the tapestry was displayed in the town’s museum. It can now be seen in reception at Athelstan House.
Explore Malmesbury Project Leader, Campbell Ritchie, said: “Malmesbury is a vibrant town with a rich, unique history and has so many great stories to tell." Explore Malmesbury has been created by the Town Team to encourage local residents and visitors to spend time enjoying our fantastic town.
Explore Malmesbury can be found at www.exploremalmesbury.com and https://discovermalmesbury.life and the Athelstan House tapestry can be found in the ‘Artist’s View Trail’.