Textile collection: the Gideon tapestries

Conservators sewing the border onto the tapestry showing ‘Gideon Attacking the Midianites’ at Hardwick Hall, which has returned from conservation treatment.

Conservators stitching tapestry — Hours of work go into textile conservation

Detail of tapestry depicting Gideon Building an Altar to the Lord — Detail of Gideon Building an Altar to the Lord, 1578 / Hardwick Hall NT 1129447.6

Conservator working on Hardwick Gideon tapestry — Conservator working on site

Hardwick is renowned for its textiles, including an extensive collection of tapestries. Amongst these are a set known as the Gideons, depicting the biblical story of Gideon.

Furnishing a home

By the mid-1590s, when Hardwick was taking shape, Bess had already furnished her great house at Chatsworth but could only bring a small proportion of the contents with her when she moved back to Hardwick. So, in the winter of 1592/3 Bess went on a shopping spree while in London. Amongst her purchases were the Gideon set of tapestries bought from the estate of Sir Christopher Hatton for the huge sum of £326 15s 9d (the equivalent of £128,000 in today’s money). Bess negotiated a £5 reduction in the prices because she had to change the Hatton coat of arms to her own.

The set comprises of 13 tapestries which line the Hall’s Long Gallery and portray the biblical story of Gideon.

Conservation in action

To halt the deterioration of these irreplaceable objects these tapestries have been the subject of a conservation project which has already spanned twenty years.

It costs £278,000 to conserve a Gideon tapestry and takes over two years in which time it will undergo extensive repair and stablisation.

To date, 12 tapestries have been conserved and re-hung in the 28ft high Long Gallery. The last tapestry has been carefully taken away in April 2021, and is currently being conserved at the textile studio.

Painstaking work

Each tapestry is taken to the National Trust's Conservation Studio in Norfolk. The process begins first with sending the tapestry to Belgium for specialist cleaning. Once back at the Studio the team work to repair tears and replace stitches where possible, all by hand.

Conservator working on Hardwick Hall's Gideon tapestries at the National Trust Textile Conservation Studio in Blickling, Norfolk

When the tapestry returns to Hardwick, rehanging involves the use of scaffolding due to the sheer size of each one (approximately 7m x 6m). The tapestry is on a roll which is raised vertically and then unrolled from one side of the wall to the other. The top of the tapestry is secured with Velcro to two wooden battens fixed on the wall. The tapestry is then left for at least two years without portraits hung over it to allow it to be seen in all its glory, as originally intended.