The Occupation Tapestry

The tapestry is made up of over 7,500,000 stitches and the twelve panels took just under 30,000 hours to stitch.The tapestry was a created as a community arts project lead by a States of Jersey sub-committee and the Jersey Heritage. It tells the story of the island during the Second World War - a period which is locally referred to simply as the Occupation. Each of the twelve panels was created by a team of volunteers from the twelve parishes. Each panel takes a different aspect of the period - the Outbreak of War, Occupation, Restrictions, Transport, Everyday Needs, School and Work, Social Life, Government, Sent Overseas, By-Passed, Red Cross and, finally, Liberation.

The Tapestry Gallery has assumed the position of a place of memorial since it was opened, with islanders focussing on it for other memorials. The Lighthouse memorial to islanders who died in concentration camps stands just outside, while the Merchant Seamen's War Memorial and plaques to islanders who died escaping and to the Red Cross stand at the entrance.

The tapestry is made up of over 7,500,000 stitches and the twelve panels took just under 30,000 hours to stitch.