Memories and history of Leamington are stitched into embroidered map of the town

A remarkable hand-embroidered map celebrating the streets, buildings and stories of Leamington is now on display at a cafe and music venue in the town.

Created by self-taught textile artist Kate Larkin, who has called Leamington home for more than 40 years, the map brings together familiar streets, landmarks and green spaces in an extraordinary piece of detailed hand embroidery.

Kate is exhibiting the piece along with some of her other works at at Temperance in Bath Street, with a private viewing evening taking place there on Monday (November 16) from 7pm to 9pm.

For tickets visit https://tinyurl.com/8a57juhy.

The idea for the map began with a simple note scribbled on a post-it saying - “big map?”.

Inspired by aerial photographs Kate had taken years earlier while flying over Leamington in a helicopter, the ambition was to capture the whole town from above.

Using Google Maps as a reference, she painstakingly scaled, drew and planned the design before dividing it into sections and beginning the enormous task of stitching.

Every part of the map was embroidered entirely by hand, with carefully selected thread colours and different stitching techniques used to bring the town to life.

But this is much more than a map.

A closer look reveals Kate’s personal memories and hidden stories woven into the fabric.

Beneath Christchurch Gardens the words Top Park are embroidered using more than 300 tiny French knots, reflecting the name by which the gardens are locally known.

Norfolk Street is picked out in a slightly different variation of running stitch, while the thread used to embroider the former Woodwards department store came from the shop’s original haberdashery department, bought many years ago and carefully saved for the occasion.

The exhibition also includes photographs and personal recollections of two much-loved Leamington landmarks - Woodwards, the department store that served the town for 96 years, and Toytown.

From Woodwards’ famous haberdashery department and clanky multi-door lift to Toytown’s Christmas grotto, model trains and pocket-money toys, these are memories that will resonate with anyone who grew up in the town.

Kate’s work has previously explored individual buildings and landscapes around Leamington, including Newbold Comyn, Jephson Gardens and the Royal Pump Rooms.

The ambitious map brings that creative journey together, creating a personal record of the places, memories and changing character of the town.