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'Spectacular' bible textile artwork on display

Eleanor Maslin,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshireand
Becki Bowden,in Beverley
BBC Reverend Eileen Wallis is wearing a black top with colourful dots on it and a clerical collar. She has large rectangular black-rimmed glasses and a blonde bob. A minster's passage can be seen behind her along with a colourful display alongside the passage depicting different biblical scenes.BBC
Reverend Eileen Wallis says the textile panel display at Beverley Minster is "amazing to look at"

What's claimed to be the largest textile artwork for hundreds of years, telling the story of the bible, has gone on display at Beverley Minster.

Threads includes 30 textile panels, made up of more than eight million stitches and standing 3m (9.8ft) high, which were created by Jacqui Parkinson over 10 years.

The Manchester-born artist's website said it was "probably not only the largest textile project by a single artist ever, but also the largest textile project for 600 years".

The Rev Canon Jonathan Baker, vicar of Beverley Minster, said: "I knew it was going to be impressive, but it's even more spectacular than I imagined."

Textile thread displays held up by square panels in a minster building with stone flooring and stained glass windows that are dark. The display on the far right is colourful and depicts swirling colour with people stood below the depiction of a religious figure, holding their hands up to him. Diamond-shapes grew patterns are flowing out below from him, he has his hands outstretched.
The free exhibition is being held at Beverley Minster until 22 April

The free exhibition, divided into Threads Through Creation and Threads Through the Cross, will be on display until 22 April.

The panels have been crafted from layers of silk, hand-dyed fabric, metallic leathers and gold leaf.

The minster hopes the display will bring "the whole community of Beverley together" with craft, music and story-telling events being held alongside the exhibition.

The Rev Canon Jonathan Baker - a man with grey hair and round spectacles - is wearing a clerical collar, a blue jumper and tweed blazer. A minster's passage can be seen behind him along with a colourful display alongside the passage depicting different biblical scenes.
The Rev Canon Jonathan Baker says the display "really does make an impact"

The Rev Eileen Wallis, mission priest at Beverley Minster, said: "You can come in and go 'wow' at the beauty and scale of them or you can come in and reflect on what they mean.

"I just think it's wonderful. I think it's amazing that we can do something that's free and accessible to everyone.

"It's a thing of great beauty and will speak at many levels to different people."

Baker said: "We've been waiting for a while for this now and it's lovely to see it arrive.

"I hadn't taken in how startling the colours are. It really does make an impact.

"Even though I had an idea what to expect, it surpassed what I imagined."

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