Gotham Church
I'm afraid I've not had time to put together a page for St Lawrence’s Church, but for now, here's an article from the Nottingham Evening Post - Many thanks to the N.E.P. for this article from Tuesday 4 January 2000.
Tapestry is a stitch in time
More than 666,000 stitches and thousands of hours have gone into making a Notts village’s own version of the Bayeux Tapestry. Thirty-six villagers took six years to make the needlework record of Gotham’s history.
Its 37 panels chart the village’s history – from its legendary wise fools of the 13 century to the present day.
The original Bayeux Tapestry was created in the 11 century and is 231ft long and 20ins wide. Gotham’s version is 72in by 63in and now adorns St Lawrence’s Church, in Leake Road, where it was dedicated and hung in a special millennium service. Retired village vicar David Gorick returned to the church specially to take the service.
Nearly every house in the village, along with historical buildings and landmarks, pubs, shops, farms and groups including the Guides, are captured in the work.
The tapestry, which cost £1,300 to make, has been hung in a hand-made oak frame created by farmer David Howick.
Gotham’s Janet Smith, came up with the idea in 1993 to mark the millennium. "It’s meant to be a reflection of the village’s history and its present activities," she said. "There is a part of everybody in it and it is that which makes it so special."
Four of the panels tell how the villagers feigned madness to get out of paying taxes to King John.
They depict Gotham villagers planting a bush round a tree to stop a cuckoo flying away and their attempts to rake the reflection of the moon out of a pond, believing it to be cheese.
Other tales recorded include the man who sent his cheeses off to find their own way to market, and the obedient wife whose husband told her to pull the door after her, which she did – all the way to Nottingham.
The Gotham History Society has produced a book "A Stitch in Time" which records the history behind each story.
