As an escape from the build up to Christmas, on 6 December 2016, thirty fellows and members were transported back to early medieval Europe by the Opus Anglicanum, with its stunning embroidery.
Anne Haworth of the Victoria and Albert Museum unfolded the origin, background and survival of extraordinary pieces of ecclesiastical and secular embroidery including the breathtaking Butler-Bowden cope.
The talk, in a 'behind the scenes' seminar room, was an excellent introduction to the exhibition, helping us to look for stitches, motifs and details we might otherwise have missed.
The exhibition gives not only a vision of how resplendent church vestments were, but also an insight into the lives and work of the many embroiderers, mostly women, based east of St Paul's and south of Cheapside, and the lively figures they stitched.