In the heart of Cornwall, Redruth celebrates its rich history often through art. Max Morrison, at the age of 17, stepped into the role of Redruth’s Town Crier. Along with this prestigious position, Max inherited a rather drab coat, many sizes too big, and adorned with tatty gilt braid. Recognizing an opportunity to transform tradition, the artists of Redruth banded together to create a beautiful, contemporary new coat for Max. This coat, a canvas in its own right, will, in time, be covered with embroidered images depicting the rich stories and characters that makeup Redruth’s history. Read more about Redruth’s Story Coat below.
How it began:
Max Morrison was the understudy of the previous Town Crier and officially inherited the role and the coat in 2022. The coat in question was a very large, heavy, oddly tacky, almost sub-Poldark coat with lots of cheap gold braid. Not pretty. Sarah – from Make a Mends – did kindly take it in to fit Max’s frame better, but it still swamped him.
Also, around that time, there was gathering energy in the artist community, and we now have a great concentration of people who can sew, embroider, mend, make, and print – dozens of them. We happened to meet in the Drapery and ‘ganged up’ on Max saying “This (the coat) is terrible; come on. We’re going to sort you out”, after which Max went to the Town Council and mentioned it. Sam White (Engagement Officer) was excited by the idea and agreed for the Council to get behind this project.
The core group – Sue Hill, Penny McBeth, and Hannah Jordan held a meeting in the Art Room, to which about 20 people total turned up. They invited all the fabricators, embroiderers and dyers of Redruth, to build ideas and a design. Sue, Penny and Hannah wrote a bid to the council along with a budget.
With the help of Councillor Barbara Ellenbroke, who put in some of her own money, and money from her community chest, they were successful. The coat began to take shape, beginning by commissioning the digital lining, and sourcing the fabric. Penny and Sue had been working pro bono. Penny made the coat sourcing British wool used for making military uniforms. Hannah dyed the material using organic staining techniques.
The Stunning Details:
The Storycost Brief:
- It must be dramatic, and eye-catching, to stand out from the crowd, and build interest and anticipation.
- It may have echoes of traditional 18th-century garments but should emphatically feel contemporary.
- It will represent Redruth, its people, stories, history and its values (‘Distinctively Cornish’, ‘Resourceful/Regenerative’, ‘Sparking Ideas’).
Tony Minnion – The Lining; ‘Soul of Redruth’
The lining was designed from a mix of various contributions sent through after a call out to people for images that represented the true spirit of Redruth. Choices were many and varied, historic and contemporary and took the form of photos, artworks and children’s drawings. The images were combined in Photoshop and then repeatedly printed digitally onto a natural cotton. They represent a broad impression of the town from a single moment in time.
Hetty Bevington – The Buttons
My Dad was stationed in Blandford Dorset when I was growing up and it was here that I first learnt about Dorset thread buttons, in the early 1800s 3000 women in Blandford worked in the trade. The industry died out with the advances made in button technology during the Industrial Revolution. I have worked my buttons in colours influenced by the rich mineral ores deposited in Redruth, tin, copper cobalt and arsenic.
The Tannic Acid used to fix the dye colour of the woollen fabrics is tin and copper, both materials that have historically been mined and sourced from the Redruth area.
Phil Kincaid – ‘The Stories Yet To Come’
So, interesting to learn how we were inspired and that the stories will unite in this single garment – inspired by 18th-century tailoring, gaslight, and digitally captured moments in time………. My interest is in mutuality, diversity, inclusion, past-present-and future heritage (as well as music, theatre and costume). What we have in our town is golden. We are ready to grow and flourish.
(In case you hadn’t guessed, that’s my patch in a nutshell: The Stories Yet to Come.)
Sally Smith and Sue Hill – ‘Gracey Briney’
This patch celebrates Gracey Briney, famous Redruth character, fierce cross-dresser, bal-maiden, horse-and-cart-driver, and seller of mazzards – cherries – which she brought on foot to the Redruth markets from the Tamar Valley.
Penny Macbeth – Puerto Magico
‘My patch celebrates the historic connection between Redruth and Real Del Monte In Mexico, forged in the mid-nineteenth century when Cornish engineers travelled there together with migrant labourers from the greater Redruth area to help revive silver mining by draining the flooded mines. The innovations of our Industrial Revolution helped to forge a lasting connection between our two cultures which is today celebrated in a twinning of the two towns. Many families in Real del Monte are descended from the original adventurous miners who settled and integrated into Mexican culture’.
The first outing of the coat was at Redruth’s St Piran’s Festival – Saturday 2nd March 2024.
Sara Clasper – ‘Buttermarket’
I was inspired by the wonderful image of the Buttermarket… how it will look; a beacon of hope for our future
Hannah Jordan – ‘One and All’
My piece speaks to ideas of home…Redruth is home to many people and a vibrant community, each with our own sense of home; what makes us feel welcome and how do we welcome others? Cornish culture has the thread of “One and All” running through it, and (amidst a housing crisis on a local level) I hope that Redruth continues to find ways to welcome all diverse identities and global experiences as our town is richer for it. With so many homes being destroyed by war and climate collapse around the world, it’s important to be thankful for what we have and establish and build on connected, sustainable and welcoming communities like Redruth. The style of this embroidery is heavily influenced by the Ukrainian Vyshyvanka, in particular the design from Rivne where my friend Maria originates from. There is also a nod to the Cornish coin One and All motif. Together, they make the shape of a house. Traditional crafts, like hand embroidery, play a vital element in celebrating and pushing forward our intangible cultural heritage for a contemporary Cornwall.
Penny Macbeth – ‘St Rumon’s Druid’
My patch was inspired by the sickle-wielding Druid carved in the spandrel of an arch over St Rumons Gardens and symbolising the ancient history of the town of Redruth demonstrated by the rich archaeological finds recovered from Carn Brea. Like St Rumons Gardens, a little oasis flourishing at the heart of our town retrieved from the ruins of a cinema, formerly a reading room, and in early times a chapel, the town of Redruth is coming back to life and remembering its proud history whilst carving an important place at the centre of creative Kernow.
Each patch has a story behind it, a mix of history, as well as personal and contemporary designs. As more patches are added, they will create a legacy piece.
Mati Ringrose – Murdoch’s Gas Lamp’
William Murdoch’s contribution to Redruth, with his pioneering gas lighting demonstration in 1792, marked a transformative moment in the town’s history. By illuminating his own house with coal gas extracted from coal, Murdoch introduced a revolutionary method of lighting that would eventually spread across the world. This innovation not only provided a safer and more efficient source of illumination but also symbolized progress and modernity during a time of rapid industrialization.
Sarah Perry – ‘The Stitchers’
My patch is inspired by the generations of textile and clothes makers in Redruth. The ‘plain sewers’, dressmakers, seamstresses, tailors, milliners and repairers. From those listed in The Poor Laws Clothing ledger, held at Kresen Kernow, requesting needle and thread and cloth, to those who bought exquisite clothes at the best department stores in Redruth. This very coat demonstrates that these skills and creativity are very much alive today.
Lally Macbeth – ‘Oddfellows’
I was inspired to stitch the symbol of the Oddfellows Lodge; a hand with a heart in the centre. A symbol of friendship, unity and community.
The Secret Patch …
Caroline Wilkins – The Secret Patch
My patch was inspired by looking at woodblock prints and imagining a Town Crier of old handing them out as a way of spreading News. I made the print in response to a local story that has national and international consequences. Starting with the sewage in the sea, the bigger story is, of course, the profits that are made rather than invested in sorting out the problem.
Make sure you ask Max where this secret patch is hidden…