The table runner we coordinated and stitched for Lincoln Cathedral is now displayed on the Table for the Nation, an incredible 13m long table made from 5000 year old fossilised wood currently on display in Lincoln Cathedral on a year-long visit. It’s on the table all the time but will be taken off for events etc.

Lincoln Cathedral invited the Fabric Quarter to co-ordinate and stitch the 14m runner for the table which celebrates and recognises our community by using donated fabric which holds meaning or memories.

The Fenland Black Oak Table - the Table for the Nation - was made to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and is made of the nation’s rarest and most precious hardwood – black oak. The table’s story began in 2012 when  a giant black oak tree was found in a field in Wissington Fen, East Anglia; remarkably a 13.2m long section of a tree was discovered deep in the peat and was destined to become this unique piece of furniture. But the tree’s story is much older - it had laid undisturbed for 5000 years. It is believed the tree would have been an immense 55 metres tall when it was alive. For comparison, present day oak trees are around 20 metres. The table took ten years to make, creating a piece of furniture which has allowed this incredible tree to be preserved in perpetuity for future generations to admire and use.

When the table leaves Lincoln, the runner will stay at the Cathedral (possibly archived as it’s so long).

A few people has asked us why there is no key to every piece of fabric; many came in anonymously or without notes plus it would have been hard to provide an effective key. Letters which accompanied the donated fabric will be stored with the runner.

It took approximately 40 hours to put together and used approximately 800m of thread. It was stitched by Amy Claridge.

Please excuse the wonkiness here and there! We hope you love seeing it as much as we enjoyed creating it. We have been humbled and honoured to create the runner and feel privileged that we were trusted with so many precious memories. Thank you.