Church Vestments

Vestments Restored and New

St. Bartholomew’s may be old, but the tradition of church vestments
goes back to the early days of the Christian Church.

Today’s vestments, examples of stunning design and execution, are adaptations of garments worn all those centuries before and which have been
developed and beautified for liturgical use today.

Each one tells a story and is a timeless work of art.

Marion Cantrell,
a noted authority on and practitioner of this rare craft
of vestment restoration
and who this year celebrates 40 years of dedicated work in this field,
gave a series of 20-minute talks at St Bartholomew's
between the 18th and 25th August 2008.

This coincided with a unique exhibition of early 20th century vestments
and banners which have been restored at St Bartholomew's.

Visitors were shown rare materials which have been hand-crafted and were
also able to watch St. Bartholomew’s Broderers
working on a new commission.

Each talk concentrated on a specific vestment or banner:

Monday 18 August - Agnus Dei Banner

Tuesday 19 August - Red High Mass Set

Wednesday 20 August - St. Agatha’s Banner

Thursday 21 August - Tudor Rose High Mass Set

Friday 22 August - St Bartholomew's School Banner

Saturday 23 August - White High Mass Set

Monday 25 August - New Green High Mass Set

In association with the exhibition and
Marion Cantrell's work in the field of vestment restoration,
on Monday 8 September, at 7.30 pm,
on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
a solemn High Mass will be celebrated at St. Bartholomew’s
with the choir from St. Mary’s Church, Ringmer.

We present the following

photographs

of the vestments

and banners,

taken during the exhibition.

White High Mass set

White High Mass Set.
Chasuble, Dalmatic and Tunicle restored in 1994.

White High Mass Set Cope

Cope

For the White High Mass Set.

Tudor Rose High Mass Set

                                   Tudor Rose High Mass Set.
                          Chasuble and Dalmatic restored by
                           Bennie Hitch and Marion Cantrell.

Black High Mass Set

                               Black High Mass Set.
                                 Chasuble and Dalmatic restored by Keith Biddle.
                                 New Black Cope made by Marion Cantrell retaining
                              the embroidered Hood.

Red High Mass Set