A Stitch in Time

We are delighted to announce our May 2026 event A Stitch in Time, where we will explore Helen Riddle’s marvellous and intricate textile art response to the pioneering Victorian wildlife-protecting work Waterton’s Wall.

Charles Waterton (1782-1865) was a naturalist and explorer who created the world’s first nature reserve on his own estate near Wakefield in the early 19th century. He was an inspiration for Charles Darwin and his work was an important step in the development of nature conservation in England.

Helen’s work is on display as part of Wallfest, celebrating the bicentenary of the construction of the wall.

We’ll begin with a viewing of Helen’s work on gallery, then Helen will give a talk about her work. In the afternoon, Barbara Phipps from the Friends of Waterton’s Wall – organisers of Wallfest – will talk about Charles Waterton and his wildlife preservation work.

MORNING

Helen Riddle is a Wakefield-based textile artist working primarily in felt making, free-motion embroidery and hand stitch.

For her 2022 exhibition,A Stitch in Time,Helen explored the nature of decay and repair in the boundary wall which Charles Waterton built 200 years ago to protect wildfowl on his estate near Wakefield. For this exhibition, Helen combined textile techniques with construction materials for the first time. Alongside the 2026 reshowing of the exhibition, this talk will look at Helen’s inspiration and processes on this project.

You can read more about A Stitch in Time on Helen’s website: https://helenriddleartist.co.uk/a-stitch-in-time/

[Images: Helen Riddle in her studio, and detail from A Stitch in Time. Reproduced by kind permission of Helen Riddle.]

AFTERNOON

In the afternoon Barbara Phipps will give us a talk about Charles Waterton, whose work inspired Charles Darwin and Sir David Attenborough, who described Waterton as ‘one of the first people anywhere to recognise, not only that the natural world was of great importance, but that it needed protection as humanity made more and more demands on it’ (Wakefield Express, 23 February 2013).

Barbara tells us: ‘I lived in Walton as a child, so from an early age I was aware of Charles Waterton, the eccentric taxidermist but my knowledge was no more than that. In the year 2000 I moved back to Walton and became interested in the village history, culminating in writing a book about the life of its once famous squire.

‘My talk will show what inspired this extraordinary man to build a nine foot wall around his parkland, and creating within it the world’s first nature reserve.’

Barbara’s talk will likely give us new perspectives on Helen’s artwork, and we will have time after the talk to go take another look with fresh eyes.

Programme:

10:00am – 11:00am Welcome and viewing of A Stitch in Time

11:00am – 12:30pm Helen Riddle, A Stitch in Time

12:30pm – 1:00pm AGM

1:00pm – 2:30pm Lunch

2:30pm – 3:30pm Barbara Phipps, Charles Waterton

3:30pm Finish

The cost of the meeting is £15 for members, £20 for non-members, and £5 for all students,plus Eventbrite fees.

MEETING LOCATION

The meeting will be held at WX Wakefield, Union Street, Wakefield, WF1 3AD.

This is an arts venue 0.5 miles from Wakefield Westgate railway station.

The venue is wheelchair accessible with a disabled toilet. More information about the venue can be found on their website: https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/venue/wakefield-exchange-wx/

A NOTE ON LUNCHES, TEA AND COFFEE:

Due to the venue, we won’t be able to provide tea and coffee, but WX Wakefield has a cafe and restaurant on site, as well as other food and drink vendors, and there are plenty of coffee shops in the nearby area.

For lunch, as WX has an on-site restaurant, cafe and food vendors, only food bought at the venue can be eaten there, but there are benches nearby where packed lunches can be eaten.

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