Dear Editor
I don’t often write in about events outside South Cheshire, but I felt compelled to share news of a truly remarkable exhibition taking place just down the road in Stoke-on-Trent.
Until the end of this month (October), The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War is on display at Stoke Minster, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent (ST4 1LP).
Although it’s not strictly a local event, it’s very easy to reach – I took the train from Crewe to Stoke-on-Trent, followed by a short ten-minute walk from the station to Stoke Minster.
For those travelling by car, it’s just off the A500, with parking available at Kingsway Car Park (ST4 1BL), opposite the Minster, which is free on Sundays.
This extraordinary exhibition features 80 panels of “wool art”, each one metre long, depicting life in Britain from the declaration of war on 3 September 1939 through to VE Day on 8 May 1945.
The panels beautifully capture key moments such as the King’s Speech, D-Day, the Blitz, the Home Front, the Women’s Land Army, rationing, and much more.
Adding to the display is ‘The Gang’ – eight life-size knitted figures representing the services and people who helped Britain through its darkest days, including a Land Girl and a Spitfire Pilot.
An incredible 300 knitters took part in creating this moving and historically rich exhibition.
No booking is required, and there is a suggested entry donation of £5. For exhibition days and times during October, visit the Stoke Minster Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StokeMinster
The original The Longest Yarn was created last year to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
This second instalment, The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War, continues the story with a broader look at life across the nation during the Second World War.
I would highly recommend a visit – it’s a wonderful, creative tribute to Britain’s wartime spirit and to the talent and dedication of the many knitters who brought history to life through yarn.
Regards
Jonathan White
Wistaston
Thank you!!
The 1st one should be coming home from it’s tour of USA in March 2026 to it’s permanent home in Carentan in Normandy where I 1st got my inspiration from living here and having the incredible honour of getting to know so many WW2 veterans of all nationalities.
It was created in time for the 80th anniversary of D Day.
I realised that interest was piqued as historians that I know locally started to take an interest especially in colour selection for uniforms and how many slats on a Jeep!
When we launched in June 2024 the reaction was overwhelming! We toured U.K. attracting 250,000 visitors before going to USA. The crafters bereft of no new challenges asked me to create a new one, hence Britain at War and I think the ladies have surpassed themselves with their talents!
Pushing themselves completely out of their comfort zone of knit one purl one their techniques are rewriting the craft of wool!
We are now supporting financially small forces veteran charities and busy creating new interesting and different things to raise more money… we also want to build communities for people to come and share ideas, knit and crochet together which would help those on their own combat loneliness, give people a sense of purpose.
I hope also we also continue to bring the aspects of WW2 to life, the futility of war recognised and the younger generations understand what the blitz spirit was and how the war shaped our nation.