The work on display is a small part of the Collection which will be housed in the new extended Embroidery Gallery. This nationally important collection of British Embroidery and Textile Art has been accumulated by Diana Springall over six decades.

​

Diana Springall has been collecting contemporary embroidery since studying at Goldsmiths College in London in the 1950s. She is a teacher, practitioner and writer on embroidery and  has collected with discipline and vision, often selecting the work of graduates who were to go on and have noble careers in textiles. The collection, currently comprises some 250 pieces together with accompanying paper sketches, make a crucial contribution to modern textile history and incorporates the work of British artists as well as many artists from abroad including Europe, the USA and Japan. It is the only British collection that has the unique distinction of covering embroidery as a fine art.

​

The Sunbury Gallery's location, close to London and its proximity to world-leading educational institutions specialising in textile arts at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court, Kingston University & the University of Creative Arts at Farnham make it ideally situated to house this remarkable collection. It will enable us to create a 'National Centre for Embroidery' in Sunbury offering a valuable and centrally located national resource.

​

An archive and study centre will be provided to conserve, store and make available the collection for research and study. Pieces will be exhibited in the gallery on a continuing bases as well as bing made available for outside loan

.

Diana is one of Britain's best-known textile artists. Her 50 year career in textiles includes appointments as a panel lecturer at the Victoria and Albert Museum and chairman of both The Embroiderer's Guild and the Society of Designer Craftsmen. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and her work can be found in many private and public collections. She is also a member of The Worshipful Company of Broderers.

​

For more information on The Diana Springall Collection please visit

https://dianaspringallcollection.co.uk

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​