Casgliadau Arlein

Patchwork coverlet made by the master tailor R. James Williams in College Street, Wrexham, between 1842 and 1852. It is made from 4,525 separate pieces of fulled woollen cloth, mainly military uniform, which are butt-joined with overcast stitches. Main colours are blue, red, brown, grey and fawn; background is composed of various combinations of small diamond patches, chevrons, squares and rhomboids; at the top centre is a crown, in each corner is respectively a rose, a thistle, a leek and a shamrock; remainder made up of figurative motifs: includes Telford’s Menai suspension bridge (completed in 1826), a Chinese pagoda, Jonah and the whale; Cain and Abel; Noah’s Ark with a dove; a central panel showing Adam naming the animals, with a giraffe, panther, elephant and various birds, and other animals; immediately below is Cefn viaduct near Ruabon (completed in 1848) with a steam train; finally a serpent, vulture and stag, an archer and a horse. Plain black border of fulled wool, not lined. Details are picked out through embroidery in silk thread (variety of stitches, including chain stitch).