National Needlework Archive

For day to day, special, and up to date information, such as closures due to bad weather etc., please click here to go onto our Facebook page.

The Old Chapel Textile Centre in Newbury, home of the National Needlework Archive, offer courses, workshops and exhibitions in sewing, haberdashery, needlecraft, textiles, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting and textile art. Our shop carries an extensive range of all needlework and sewing products including fabric, threads, wool, zips and patterns. We have an archive of historic textiles and patterns and are home to The Country Wife mural.

National Needlework Archive

Country Wife Mural

Archives and Study Collection

The NNA specialises in community textiles. We keep records of textiles, an extensive reference library and a textile collection

The Old Chapel Textile Centre is a voluntary community project providing space for needlework and textile courses, workshops, exhibitions, conferences and events and is the home of the National Needlework Archive and the 'Country Wife' mural circa 1951.

The National Needlework Archive (NNA) was founded in 1998 as a charity and moved to The Old Chapel, Greenham Business Park, Newbury, in 2010. The chapel offers a great work space,educational space, as well as housing a growing collection of historical needlecraft items and database.

We aim to include all areas of the community in education and promotion of all aspects of needlecraft and textile art.

Old Chapel Textile Centre

The Old Chapel will re-open after the winter closure at 10am on Thursday 2nd March 2023. However, to co-incide with the Newbury Stitch Fair on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th February, The Old Chapel will be open from 12 noon to 4pm on these two days. (Shop, Tea Room and Tea Room Displays).

For the 2023 season the Chapel will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am - 4pm every week, and 10am to 4pm on the first Saturday of every month. Groups by appointment any day.

Information about our 2023 programme of exhibitions, events and workshops will be added to the website as soon as they are confirmed.

In the meantime please follow The Old Chapel Textile Centre on our Instagram and facebook pages.

The Old Chapel Textile Centre is a working building that welcomes visitors.
However, to protect some of our vulnerable staff we are still requiring compliance with certain Covid safeguarding measures from all visitors and staff.

• Face masks should be worn when in the Centre.

• Hands should be sanitised on arrival.

Many thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Conservation of the Country Wife Mural - made for the Festival of Britain 1951

Designed by Constance Howard, and made by her and some of her students at Goldsmiths College, the mural now resides at the National Needlework Archive