Timeline

1912

The Edinburgh Tapestry Company was established by the Marquess of Bute, bringing Master Weavers Gordon Berry and John Glassbrook from the workshops of William Morris

1914-1917

Berry and Glassbrook lost their lives in WW1 and weaving was suspended; their initials woven by their apprentices into the tapestry they never finished

1920s

The first weavers at Dovecot began to establish themselves as artisans

1938

Prince of the Gael also known as Glenfinnan or The Raising of the Standard was unfinished by William Skeoch Cumming and Paul Woodroffe and is now part of the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart

1946

Dovecot incorporated as Edinburgh Tapestry Company

1949-58

Modernity and tradition prevailed with artists including Edwards Wadsworth, Stanley Spencer, Edward Bawden, Graham Sutherland, Cecil Beaton and Louis le Brocquy designing tapestries with Dovecot

1948

Archie Brennan joins the Apprentices at Dovecot

1951

Sax Shaw’s Lion and Oak Tree tapestry is showcased at the Festival of Britain

1952

Graham Sutherland’s tapestry Wading Birds features at the 26th Venice Biennale

1954

John Noble and Harry Jefferson Barnes acquire Edinburgh Tapestry Company and Sax Shaw is appointed Artistic Director

1963

Dick Gordon retires after weaving with Dovecot for 50 years: his Apprentice piece 1913-14 is held in the collection at National Museum of Scotland

1960s

First female tapestry weaver Maureen Hodge is appointed and works with Harold Cohen in 1966 on the BP Tapestry : seen here (LtoR) Fred Mann, Harry Wright, Doreen Tarbert, Harold Cohen, Maureen Hodge and Archie Brennan

1961

Douglas Grierson joins Dovecot

1963

Archie Brennan becomes Director

1964

Harry Wright weaving from the back of the loom as Maureen Hodge and Douglas Grierson begin weaving facing the image for the first time

1965-1980

Artists who worked during this time with Dovecot included Adolf Gottlieb, John Houston, Eduardo Paolozzi, David Hockney, Graham Sutherland, Bernat Klein and Tom Phillips

1968

Notable commissions this year including for Kings College Chapel Cambridge and Kenneth McAvoy’s Montreal Metro tapestry

1978-82

The first female Directors are appointed: Fiona Mathison in 1978 and then Joanne Soroka in 1982

1980-2011

Scottish artist connections including with Elizabeth Blackadder, Sir Robin Philipson, John Bellany and Bruce McLean

1983

Joanne Soroka leads the Water of Life tapestry commission for Glenfiddich Distillery

1985

David Cochrane joins Dovecot as an Apprentice Weaver

1986

Suite of tapestries designed by Frank Stella after his Had Gadya series for PepsiCo corporation headquarters in New York

1987

Dovecot’s new Director James More designs major tapestry commission for the Dunedin Fund

1990

Naomi Robertson joins Dovecot as a Weaver

1990s

Prestigious commissions completed including Kate Whiteford’s Corryvrechan tapestry for National Museum of Scotland and Barbara Rae’s Carnival Edinburgh for The Festival Theatre

1996/7

R B Kitaj tapestry If Not, Not is created for The British Library

2000

Alastair and Elizabeth Salvesen pledge to support Dovecot and appoint David Weir as Director

2002

Alan Davie tapestry commissioned for The Chancellor Building of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary

2005

Pause on the Landing tapestry created with Patrick Caulfield for The British Library

2005-2008

Salvesens fund project to restore Infirmary Street Baths and engage Malcolm Fraser Architects to create new space for Dovecot

2008

Jonathan Cleaver is appointed Weaver at Dovecot

2008

Jerwood Contemporary Makers and Henry Moore Textiles are opening exhibitions at Dovecot

2011

Freya Sewell and Emily Fogarty join as first apprentices of new programme

2011

Necklace for an Elephant creator David Poston collaborates with weaver Jonathan Cleaver

2011

Siobhan Davies presents Rotor at Dovecot broadening scope of programme

2011

Master Weaver Douglas Grierson retires after 50 years weaving with Dovecot

2012

Centenary celebrations include Weaving the Century exhibition, The Art of Modern Tapestry book publication and A Tapestry of Many Threads opera

2013

Naomi Robertson appointed Studio Manager and works with Alison Watt on Butterfly project

2013

Julie Brook collaborates with Dovecot on rug project

2013

Fleece to Fibre: The Making of the Large Tree Group Tapestry exhibition goes on tour

2013

Dennis Reinmueller appointed Rug Tufter and works with Adrian Wiszniewszki, Ron Arad, Than Clark, Linder and Garry Fabian Miller

2014

Weaving begins on largest commissions to date with artists Chris Ofili and Victoria Crowe

2014-2017

Ben Hymers joins Dovecot as first of new apprentices appointed 2014-2017

2015

Diagrams of Love: Marriage of Eyes rug created with Linder for British Art Show 8 and Children of the Mantic Stain ballet choreographed by Kenneth Tindall

February 2015

Trainee Rug Tufter Kristi Vana completes first rug

May 2015

Series of ‘hearth rugs’ created with Garry Fabian Miller and exhibited in Dwelling

November 2015

Jonathan Cleaver declared Master Weaver at Dovecot, which coincided with the completion of his Art History: Dress & Textile Histories [MLitt] at the University of Glasgow

February/March 2016

Linder’s Diagrams of Love: Marriage of Eyes rug tours to Edinburgh as part of BAS8 at SNGMA, and appears in the only Scottish performance of Children of the Mantic Stain ballet on the weaving floor at Dovecot

March 2016

Apprentice Weaver Ben Hymers’ first tapestry piece Penelope is cut from the loom

November 2016

Tufters Dennis Reinmüller and Kristi Vana complete Soft Machine rug with Jim Lambie for House of Voltaire exhibition in London

January 2017

Major tapestry project with Victoria Crowe for Leathersellers’ Livery Hall in London completed

March 2017

Three year tapestry collaboration with artist Chris Ofili is completed, as the triptych The Caged Bird’s Song is revealed

April-August 2017

Chris Ofili’s The Caged Bird’s Song tapestry is the focus of a major exhibition at The National Gallery, London and the subject of a BBC Imagine documentary

July- December 2017

Dovecot begins new tapestry with Garry Fabian Miller, alongside making three hearth rugs

August 2017

After 17 years at the helm, David Weir leaves his post as Director of Dovecot. Celia Joicey, formerly Head of Fashion and Textile Museum, London takes over the role.

Autumn 2017

Culmination of a 3 year exchange between Dovecot Studios and Australian Tapestry Workshop as part of Creative Futures, with the final exchange of weavers between the two studios

October 2017

Ben Hymers completes his Apprenticeship and becomes Junior Weaver

Autumn 2017

New apprentice Elaine Wilson begins learning the traditional skill of tapestry weaving at Dovecot

November 2017

Ben Hymer’s completes a tapestry interpretation of HRH Prince Charles’ watercolour Abandoned Cottage on the Isle of Stroma, Caithness as part of his weaving apprenticeship.

December 2017

Ben Hymers celebrates the end of his weaving apprenticeship with a display on our Viewing Balcony titled Magical Transformations which showcases his work.

January 2018

Peter Saville & Dovecot Studios, After, After, After Monarch of the Glen tapestry edition 2 / 5 complete & cut from the loom.

February 2018

Victoria Morton You Can Radiate Over Here Rug complete.

March 2018

Dovecot Patterns project displayed in our North Gallery.

June 2018

24 Lengths Project complete.

December 2018

Water Surface tapestry designed by David Cochrane cut from loom.

May 2019

Elaine Wilson completes her first major scale tapestry, as an apprentice weaver, from her own design: Texture.

July 2019

New tapestry with Barbara Rae RA, Peel Sound Ice, celebrating a 25 year creative relationship complete.

September 2019

Collaboration with Victoria Crowe on a new tapestry, Richer Twilight Venice

November 2019

Matt Connors Union Bug tapestry complete.

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Gallery & Shop

Mon–Sat: 10am–5pm (including Sunday 16th April for Rug Tufting and Makers Market and Sundays in August) 

**please be aware the main gallery is closed for exhibition turnaround from the 13th March**

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Mon-Fri: 12–3pm
Sat: 10am–5pm 

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