Introduction – The Seven Saxon King Embroidery Project – A Tribute to Kingston’s Anglo-Saxon Heritage through Embroidery
Within the busy centre of Kingston upon Thames, All Saints Church is celebrating Kingston’s
remarkable, but surprisingly little known, Anglo-Saxon history.
Over a millennium ago, Kingston was an important ceremonial site where seven Saxon kings, including the esteemed first ‘Kings of England,’ are traditionally thought to have been crowned. All Saints Church, a Grade I listed building, has an important role in Kingston’s Saxon history. Before All Saints Church was built, the site was an important estate of the West Saxon Kings and host to Royal coronations.
A Contemporary Tribute
To celebrate Kingston’s rich Anglo-Saxon heritage, All Saints Church has embarked on a remarkable embroidery project. This ambitious initiative aims to immortalize the lives of seven Saxon kings through a series of seven richly detailed contemporary embroidered artworks, appropriate for this important church.
Six of the seven embroideries (depicting Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund, Edward the Martyr, Eadred and Eadwig) are in situ in the Church, with a wonderful unveiling event held on Thursday 4th September 2025, the 1100 anniversary of the crowning of King Athelstan on the site. Please click here for further information on the day, including recordings of Athelstan scholar Sarah Foot and historical author Tom Holland.
We are now raising funds for a project around the Saxon Embroideries to include visitor experience, education and cataloguing and archiving and look forward to the unveiling of the seventh king; Ethelred the unready in 2026.
Crafting History: The Process Behind the Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project
The Seven Saxon Kings Project has been a labour of love, bringing together talented artists and makers. From the outset, the challenge was clear: distilling complex historical narratives into single images that would resonate with audiences. This required meticulous research and analysis, ensuring that each panel would authentically capture the essence of its respective king’s reign.
The project started nearly a decade ago with a design competition, open to students at art colleges and universities in England, which Sophia Pearson won, laying the groundwork with her initial concept designs. The Seven Saxon Kings Project then enlisted contemporary embroidery artist, Dr Jacky Puzey, and her award winning embroidery studio which specialises in bespoke creative commissions. Jacky significantly developed and skilfully translated the designs into the intricate modern embroideries we see today. Additional embellishments were commissioned from embroidery artist and beader Beatrice Mayfield, who regularly collaborates with Jacky’s studio. Jacky Puzey’s expertise has been instrumental in shaping this project from the vibrant beginnings of the competition to the exquisite sophisticated final product we see today.
Reflecting on her role in the project, Dr Jacky Puzey shared her passion for historical research and figurative drawing, emphasizing the excitement of such a meaningful commission:
“My embroidery work specialises in striking images and detailed research, from textile history to contemporary embroidery skills. This commission is an exciting chance to work on a series of large works that will form a permanent installation in the Church, continuing both the rich traditions of English ecclesiastical embroidery over the centuries and creating a contemporary figurative embroidery artwork that depicts an Anglo-Saxon royal history of All Saints Kingston.”
Dr Jacky Puzey
All Saints Church are dedicated to creating works of enduring value, and as such, conservation has been a priority throughout the entire project. Every aspect, from the selection of threads and backing materials to the choice of display, including the use of museum-quality conservation glass and other carefully chosen materials, has been meticulously considered. These decisions have been guided by the expertise of our conservation consultant Janie Lightfoot Textiles and are aimed at ensuring the longevity and preservation of the embroideries for generations to come. By prioritizing conservation at every step, we are confident that the beauty and significance of these artworks will be preserved for centuries, allowing future audiences to appreciate their historical and artistic value.
Embracing The Future
The ambition of our Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery project is to bring Kingston’s heritage alive and make it accessible and visible to Kingston residents and visitors. This project has the ambition to put Kingston on the map as the place to go to find out about Saxon history and to discover where modern England began.
But we cannot achieve this vision alone. We need your support to ensure that Kingston’s Saxon heritage story resonates for generations to come. Please help us to raise the funds needed for phase 2 of our project as we create education and interpretation resources for the panels. Donate here.
More information:
About the artists:
- Jacky Puzey: Based in Bristol, Jacky Puzey seamlessly merges artisanal craftsmanship with digital innovation. With a background in Fine Art and a PhD in Fashion, Textiles, and Visual Culture, her expertise brings a contemporary flair to traditional embroidery.
- Beatrice Mayfield: Based in London, Beatrice is a contemporary hand embroiderer.
From Echo location article Canadian & Portland — Studio KT1
When Athelstan, the first king of a unified England and the first to wear a crown, ascended the throne in 925, he chose to be “consecrated” in Kingston upon Thames.
Indeed, seven Anglo-Saxon kings – among them Eadweard the Elder, Ethelred the Unready and Eadweard the Martyr – are believed to have been crowned here on the King’s Stone, a sarsen geologically similar to those at Stonehenge. It survives to this day, though the original chapel outside which it stood is long gone, replaced by All Saints Church.
Public Talks on our Embroideries
David Woodman book on Athelstan
Athelstan Address by Tom Holland
We were honoured to welcome national historian and co-host of “the Rest is History” podcast (number one History podcast in the UK) Tom Holland to speak as part of the Athelstan Coronation Anniversary Events.
The engrossing talk was a ticketed event and “sold out” months before the event so if you missed out, we are sorry but you can watch the recording by clicking the button below.
We also welcomed author Professor David Woodman, a specialist in medieval history for a book signing of his new book “The First King of England; Aethelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom”, who believes children should be taught about Aethelstan and the birth of England in schools. You can read his argument here or read about the book here.
Click here for the souvenir booklet
Click here for information about King Athelstan, the first King of a united England, crowned at Kingston Upon Thames on 4th September 925.
The British Isles, before and during Athelstan’s Reign.
King Athelstan is gaining increasing recognition as the first King of a united England.
The unification date was 12th July 927. This means 2027 is the 1100 year anniversary of the event and there are growing calls for the date “England Began” to become a bank holiday.
Athelstan Day Events Thursday 4th September
We were delighted to welcome so many visitors for Thursday’s special 1100 anniversary celebrations of the crowning of King Athelstan, the first king of England, particularly those who journeyed considerable distances to reach us. The day was a huge success, entirely down to the dedication and work of so many members of our community over several years. We are grateful to those who took part in the events and the service and the renewed shared Saxon heritage connection with Malmesbury, Tamworth and Oldenberg.
We are particularly grateful to the Very Reverend Professor Sarah Foot, Dean of Christ Church, an expert on the period for her sermon on King Athelstan which you can read in full here or you can watch the full service via the button below.
Please do come along to view the embroideries now that they are unveiled.
Click here to watch a slideshow of pictures of the events
Click here for the souvenir booklet
Click here for the service booklet
Click here for Bishop Christopher, the Bishop of Southwark’s sermon
Click here for Mike Seigel, Kingston Town Crier’s speech
Click here for information about King Athelstan, the first King of a united England, crowned at Kingston Upon Thames on 4th September 925.
Click here to watch the service
Embroidery Project Update – June 2025
Panel 1, Edward and Lady Aethelflaed, and Panel 6, Edward the Martyr, are now completed with their stunning beading by artist Beatrice Mayfield and and are with the framers. Framing involves letting the embroidery hang for 6 weeks before attaching to a bespoke backing to keep every stitch and embellishment exactly in place before putting into the museum quality frame itself. We are very lucky to have commissioned Janie Lightfoot Textiles (JLT) to perform this essential and very precise work.
The final touches are now being put to the design of Ethelred (known to history as Ethelred the Unready, although “unready” in Saxon times actually referred to his lack of good counsel). Artist Jacky Puzey will then create two full size samples of specific areas of the design for the embroidery project team to asses before work begins on the full panel itself. – will he be ready for September 4th?
Update April 2025 – Progress with the final embroideries
Members of the Embroidery Project team travelled to artist Jacky Puzey’s Bristol studio to check progress this month. Edward the Martyr, falling from his magnificent dappled grey horse is complete and awaiting embellishment by beader Beatrice Mayfield and the stunning design for Ethelred the Unready will now have areas worked up as fully embroidered working samples before the full piece is begun.
Seven Saxon Kings
Update – The embroidery of Edward the Elder and his sister Ethelflaed, lady of the Mercians, son and daughter of Alfred the Great, is now completed and being embellished by Beatrice Mayfield, contemporary hand embroiderer and visiting lecturer at the Royal School of Needlework. Jacky Puzey, award winning contemporary embroidery artist is now working on samples of the next panel; Edward the Martyr which was commissioned after an AMAZING anonymous donation from a local couple to celebrate an important anniversary.
We are now tantalisingly close to securing our fundraising target for Phase 1 of the project and now looking forward to phase 2 which is to create education and interpretation resources explaining the embroideries to visitors.
Our “book of names” appeal closes at Easter, so if you’ve been thinking about having yours or a loved ones name embroidered into the book as a lasting legacy, please do so now before this appeal closes! This would make a wonderful personal present for anyone with links to Kingston! To find out more about this, the project and how you and your family can be part of keeping this heritage alive for generations to come, please click here.
Would you like your group to have a guided talk on our embroideries? We can arrange talks at your groups usual venue or at All Saints Kingston, with our knowledgeable project leaders giving a real insight into the craft and/or historical aspects of the embroideries, including viewing the embroidered samples up close. This is available for any group signing up to have their name included in our book of names.
This year (2025) is the 1100 anniversary of the coronation of King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the great and arguably the first King of all England who was crowned right here in Kingston Upon Thames. Our aim is to have all the Embroideries complete and available to view by this special anniversary, hosting a service to commemorate them.
The Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project Film
Following Funding from Kingston First, we were able to commission an amazing short film to promote the Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project.
Directed by local filmmaker Adam Woods with filming from Mikhail Tiutin and lighting from New Day Pictures, the film follows a group of local school children as they are introduced to the Seven Saxon Kings story with a reenactment of the crowning of King Athelstan, including Sarah Cantrill, storyteller from Story storks, character actors and music from the period from Early music specialist Will Summers.
Please click on this link to watch the film via our Youtube channel Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project. (youtube.com).
Click here to watch the short film
Embroideries Featured in National Magazine
It’s great to see our embroideries gaining national attention, and justifiably so, they truly are works of amazing design and quality! The March/April 2025 edition of Embroidery Magazine lead with our project on the front page, noting;
“Meet our cover star King Eadwig whose short life story would not have been out of place in the ruthless world of HBO’s @gameofthrones drama. Inside, we bring you the story of seven Saxon kings and @jackypuzey’s incredible eight-year project to portray them in stitch.”
Embroidery magazine is exclusively devoted to all aspects of embroidery and stitched textiles in art, design, craft and textile culture. You can subscribe or purchase a back issue here.
Click here to read full article
Saxon Embroidery Gallery
Book a Talk
Are you part of a local group that would be interested in a talk from one of our Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project members?
We are offering group talks on the embroideries to raise awareness of this wonderful heritage project for all groups having their name entered into our embroidered “book of names” appeal. We host talks within the church itself or can arrange to come to a site of your choosing, bringing samples of the embroideries which may be handled (with care!). Please email [email protected] for further information.
We also arrange school visits for senior schools and Primary schools in conjunction with Kingston museum, please email [email protected]
The Saxon Fayre and Kingston 2025
To celebrate Kingston’s Saxon past, Kingston council, in association with Kingston museum and All Saints Kingston held a wonderful Saxon fayre in Kingston’s ancient marketplace and All Saints Kingston in July 2024.
The day included reenactment battles with swords and axes, a chance to dress up, farm animals, birds of prey, a working replica Saxon forge, music, food and lots of opportunities to see the everyday working lives of ordinary working Saxon people.
Kingston 2025 will mark the 1100 anniversary of the crowning of King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the great and the first actual King of all England (Alfred the great was only king of Wessex!). Kingston council is partaking in 6 months of celebrations to mark this prestigious event, with plans for an even bigger Saxon fayre in the marketplace, a river festival on the nearby Thames, various talks and events and a takeover of the whole riverbank area for a weekend of reenactment battles.
All Saints Kingston will hold a special service to commemorate Athelstan’s crowning and unveil the full set of Seven Saxon Kings embroideries to the public.
Kingston 2025 site
Donate to our Seven Saxon King Embroidery Project
We hope that one day, the Kingston embroideries will be as synonymous with the first Saxon Kings of all England as the Bayeaux tapestry is with the Battle of Hastings and Norman conquest, but we need your help to complete the project.
Any donation of any size is deeply appreciated, please click the button below to donate.
Larger Donations
We are seeking donations for phase 2 of our project which is to commission interpretation and education resources to explain the project to our visitors. Please contact [email protected] if you are considering a larger donation. We will discuss this in detail including ways in which this can be suitably acknowledged.
The Book of Names
In 2014, All Saints decided to commission embroidered panels of the Seven Saxon Kings believed to be crowned in Kingston and in order to raise much needed funds for the project, the idea of a Book of Embroidered Book of Names appeal was adopted.
Each person who donated £100 or more was invited to have a name of their choice embroidered on linen pages of the book which will be displayed near the panels. People were welcome to commemorate the names of loved ones, groups or organisations, or indeed register their own names as supporters.
Thanks to the generous response we raised more than £20,000 from this appeal which is partially funding the final panel, Ethelred who we hope will be installed in 2026. The Book, embroidered by Jacky Puzey, who produced the Panels of the Kings, and bound by Wyvern Bindery was unveiled at the All Souls Service in November 2nd 2025 and is now open for appointments to view it.
A generous individual has offered to sponsor a custom-made display case so that the book can be made permanently on public display but protected for years to come. This should be ready in 2026 when the Ethelred Panel should also finally be unveiled. The book of names is a unique artifact which we hope will be available to view for many generations to admire.
The Book of Names Appeal – Paused as NOW BEING EMBROIDERED
The Book of names appeal original details
For a payment of £100, you may have a name of your choice entered into the book as a lasting legacy to honour someone special or a group you belong to.
A gift in the Book of Names is a unique present and lasting record for anyone who has had connections with Kingston, our Saxon king heritage or embroidery and supports an iconic Kingston upon Thames project. Click here for a booklet with full details.
For a £100 donation you will receive:
- An embroidered name of up to 20 characters
- A certificate showing the name memorialised
- Information on the project and how you can view the Book of Names when completed
THIS APPEAL IS CURRENTLY PAUSED AS THE BOOK IS BEING EMBROIDERED
