In the fourth of a series of articles, Susan Allison reflects on a community project which created nearly 50 kneelers for Christ Church, each with a story to tell and each recording a snapshot of present-day Wanstead
This community project got underway at the Wanstead Festival in September 2024, when stitching began on the first kneeler (known as the Community Kneeler). Over the following 12 months, another 40-plus kneelers were stitched by numerous members of the community, celebrating the diversity of people and experiences in our village. The kneelers were presented to the church in October 2025.
We are now preparing a celebration event to mark the formal end of the project, which will be at this year’s Wanstead Festival on 13 September, so please make a note in your diary.
Alongside a display and exhibition showing the backstories of some of the kneelers, there will be a ‘bake a kneeler’ cake competition with their sale by silent auction; friendship bracelet packs and mini sewing kits using yarns from the kneelers; a ‘Where is it?’ photo trail of Christ Church features for children; and, most excitingly, a ‘come and sing’, all-voices-welcome session to learn the joyous Kneelers song written especially for the project by Tina Lloyd-Morris, as well as the Kneeler Guidebook (£5), with all sales and voluntary donations going to the church tower restoration fund.
All project documents and ephemera will then be collated and archived.
Camera
Sewn by: Jan Andrews
Dedicated to: Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society
The Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society was started in 1893 when seven local residents met in the Coffee Tavern next to George Lane station, Woodford. From a membership of 15 at the end of that first year, the club grew, reaching a high point of 104 in 1906. For the first 105 years of the club’s existence, it met in a variety of locations across Woodford. In 1998, it began meeting in Wanstead, and since 2014 has found a home at Wanstead House. It therefore made sense to add ‘Wanstead’ to the club’s name. When the club was founded, it had three aims: the advancement of photography, technically and artistically; for the society to take its place amongst the foremost in the kingdom; and to do something of value for the community. This third aim is one of the reasons the club responded to social media posts about the kneelers project and its legacy, and the club hopes to make use of the space in the church for displays in the future.
Barn Owl
Sewn by: Claire Metcalfe
Dedicated to: Gwen Hamilton
Gwen Hamilton (1926–2021) grew up in Walthamstow. During World War Two, Gwen was evacuated to Wellingborough, where she spent school holidays helping on a farm. She moved to Wanstead in 1952 with her husband, Bert, and become a devoted member of Christ Church. Gwen had a generous spirit, supporting many charities and volunteering for years at the Corner House lunch centre. Alongside Bert, she helped organise and lead holidays for the elderly, both in the UK and across Europe. A lifelong nature enthusiast, Gwen loved watching the birds in her garden and supported a nesting box through the Hawk and Owl Trust. Her fondness for owls was evident in the many owl-themed pictures and trinkets that decorated her home.
For more information on the project and the event on 13 September, email kneelers4cc@gmail.com
