On the morning of Sunday 10 January 2016 a bedspread for what is believed to be Britain’s oldest bed will be unveiled.
The quilt covers the Radclyffe Bed at the Ordsall Hall, which dates from the 1570s.
The bed is the only piece of original furniture surviving at Salford’s Grade I listed Tudor manor house.
Over the past 12 months, over 110 supporters have been raising funds by getting their name embroidered onto the covering.
It commemorates everyone from family members to Royalty, married couples to beloved pets and close friends.
The quilt will be displayed on the Radclyffe Bed in the historic Star Chamber at the Hall.
The Star Chamber dates from the 1360s and is one of the oldest rooms in Ordsall Hall.
The Radclyffe Bed disappeared from the Hall somewhere around the 1650s and only turned up at auction in London in 2014.
It was bought by a businessman from the Lebanon who kindly agreed to loan the bed to the Hall for a minimum of five years.
The bed was made as the wedding bed of Sir John Radclyffe and Lady Anne Ashawe who were married in 1572, they had six children and lived happily together for seventeen years before John’s death in 1590.
John was born in 1536 and was a Knight of the Shire.
The Hall has worked in partnership with the North West Embroiderers’ Guild to complete the bedspread.
All the names have been hand by members of North West Embroiderers’ Guild – from branches from all over the region – from as far as North Lonsdale in Cumbria to Glossop and Macclesfield.
All the embroiderers have volunteered their time to help create this beautiful and lasting memento.
It will be officially unveiled by the Deputy Ceremonial Mayor of Salford, Councillor Karen Garrido at a private event from 10am to 12pm on Sunday and will then be on display to the public.
