Last Invasion Tapestry

In 1797 the last ever invasion of mainland Britain took place when a French force landed three miles west of Fishguard in Pembrokeshire, Wales.  The fascinating story of  the invasion and the eventual surrender of the French force is told in our embroidered tapestry.   The invaders defeat was helped by local heroine Jemima Nicholas, her exploits are included in the tapestry, both the historical facts and a local legend.

The tapestry was commissioned as a permanent legacy of the Invasion Bicentenary commemorations in 1997. It took four years to complete and is on permanent exhibition in our purpose built gallery attached to the Library in Fishguard Town Hall.  It is 100ft long and 20 inches deep. The design includes a commentary in both Welsh and English.  It was designed by Elizabeth Cramp with the help of 3 embroidery advisers with 77 local people helping with the stitching.

Although the tapestry is the star of the show, there is lots more to see in the gallery and the adjacent audio visual room. There are several display cases, with many different artifacts, some from the 18th century when the invasion took place.  The audio visual room has a video about the making of the tapestry and a large detailed map showing the locations of the events that occurred during the invasion.

See our website for further details 0f the invasion story and the making of the tapestry.