Can Museums Build Community?
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The community tapestry you see here was created by 44 individuals, each adding their fragment.
[Images: The Community Tapestry displayed at 'Fragments' in the Rest House; Squares of the Community Tapestry before it was assembled]
As the Heritage Service for Bournville Village Trust it is important for us to connect with our communities, and we do this in several ways. From programming events for residents and those further afield, to recruiting volunteers who help us care for Selly Manor Museum and make it a welcoming space.
But there is so much more to it than that. We aim to build on what the Cadbury family started - engaging those who will benefit most. One way we do this is by working in partnership with our communities to explore and celebrate what is important to them.
In 2024 we started a 2 year project which would help us build relationships with those who don’t engage with our service. It began with an object in our collection – a tapestry fragment. This artefact has been in the collection since 1936, and shows a bearded man, probably Achilles, turning away from two women who seem to be offering him a sword, shield and helmet, to fight in the Trojan War. It is likely to have formed one part of a sequence of tapestries that when viewed together would tell the Achilles story.
The first step in the project was to invite the team from the National Trust’s Packwood House to visit Selly Manor. They brought with them something very special – their own tapestry fragment. There had been a long-held belief by both museums that the ‘Achilles’ tapestry was once connected to a tapestry fragment in the Packwood Collection, known as the ‘Two Women’. It was both museums’ hope that the fragments would finally be reunited and displayed side-by-side.
[Images: The Packwood House and Selly Manor teams analysing the tapestry fragments; Close-up of Achilles and Two Women tapestry fragments]
But the story of the two tapestry fragments was not what it seemed. Although both fragments originate from Oudenaarde (modern Belgium), the colours, stitching and detail vary to such an extent that curators of both artefacts concluded they could never have been part of the same larger tapestry.
Nevertheless, neither museum was put off by such a minor detail, and we decided to go ahead with the project anyway!
Funding was secured, object loan documents signed, and in the summer of 2025 the ‘Common Threads’ exhibition opened at Selly Manor. It focused on the connection between Laurence Cadbury and Graham Baron Ash – the two men who had brought Selly Manor and Packwood House back to life in the early 20th century with beautiful collections of furnishings and objects.
Hoping to engage all ages in the exhibition, we introduced a children’s trail about the museum collection, which included ‘mini museums’ made by our youth panel. We also delivered a session about the two tapestries at Bournville Memory Café, which we manage in partnership with St Francis Centre.
[Images: Achilles & Two Women tapestry fragments exhibited at Selly Manor; Bournville Memory Cafe; Part of the children's trail for 'Common Threads']
Whilst preparing the exhibition, we were also busy searching for suitable groups to help us create a new community tapestry. We decided to focus on those who already met somewhere within or near the Bournville Village Trust estates. The individuals didn’t need to have previous craft experience – just enthusiasm to learn something new. This is where social media can do incredible things to bring people together and before long, we had connected with the right groups. Ahead of the workshops, the groups were invited for a tour of Selly Manor, so that they could see the tapestries displayed together and gain an understanding of the complicated history of both objects.
In the autumn, we went out to Oddingley Hall to work with Red Arts who provide art activities and friendship to the people of West Heath and Northfield; and Shenley Court Hall to work with Shenley Welcomes, who come together weekly to practice English conversation and learn the culture and customs of the UK.
We didn’t want the workshops to be prescriptive. This was about making something inspired by the historic tapestries but individual and expressive, with the outcome a harmonious community tapestry. This was quite the task, so we enlisted the help of Tina Francis, a tapestry expert and teacher. Taking her inspiration from historic Bargello tapestries displayed throughout Packwood House, Tina encouraged and nurtured creativity in both groups, prioritising participant equity. The workshop participants were invited to choose colours that inspired them or held a special meaning. We hoped by doing this we could deepen their connection to place and heritage. Supporting this work were Jemma at Red Arts and Rich at Shenley Welcomes, whose prior knowledge of the participants was invaluable.
After many weeks of work, the community tapestry was complete. During the workshops participants had suggested themes which should be covered in ‘Fragments’, an exhibition about the community tapestry and their individual creations. They wanted to share stories that were joyful, reflective, and personal.
[Images: Workshop participants at Shenley Court Hall; Individual bargello tapestries made by workshop participants at Oddingley Hall]
In the winter of 2026, our partners at Packwood House launched ‘Common Threads’. This exhibition was all about collecting in the early 20th century and the remarkably similar lives of collectors Laurence Cadbury and Graham Baron Ash.
Cadbury and Ash were very different characters, but each recreated a historic setting, and this exhibition explored where they salvaged and collected textiles and furniture. Again, the tapestry fragments were displayed side-by-side. This was an opportunity for Selly Manor’s ‘Achilles’ tapestry to connect with museum visitors in a different location and share the story more widely.
[Images: Achilles & Two Women tapestry fragments exhibited in 'Common Threads' at Packwood House; Selly Manor staff with interactive elements]
In the spring of 2026 ‘Fragments – a community exhibition’ opened at the Rest House on Bournville Village Green. Funded by Cadbury Factory workers, this building has served the community for over a century. It was modelled on a 17th century yarn market in Somerset, so was the perfect place to exhibit tapestry.
But this wasn’t just about presenting the community tapestry. Workshop participants wanted to highlight the significance of textiles in storytelling, examine why makers and craftspeople are often overlooked, and ask visitors the question ‘what belongs in a museum?’
[Images: Bargello tapestry created by children at a workshop delivered by Tina Francis at Selly Manor Museum]
In parallel with the community exhibition, we delivered tapestry workshops for children during May half-term. We wanted to engage a younger generation in this historic craft, encourage imagination and promote confidence in their ability.
The last day of ‘Fragments’ was all about the makers – with tea and cake as part of their visit to their exhibition. It was great to catch up with people we hadn’t seen in 6 months and celebrate their contribution to the story of Selly Manor.
[Images: Oddingley Hall workshop participants at 'Fragments' exhibition; Shenley Court Hall workshop participants at 'Fragments' exhibition]
Since the ‘Fragments’ exhibition, the community tapestry has been on a little journey. It’s first stop was Oddingley Hall as part of their end of year art showcase. The event was relaxed and chatty. People talked about how being part of the programme helped them make friends but also be a friend. Everybody was asked to vote on why art is important and ‘Art helps us to express our inner worlds’ was the clear winner.
[Images: Red Arts end of year showcase at Oddingley Hall]
The community tapestry has now arrived at its final home - Shenley Court Hall. Built by Bournville Village Trust in the decade following the Second World War, the Shenley estate has a unique history of its own. It includes many self-builds and demonstrates the Cadbury’s commitment to creating homes for people to build a lasting community. It seems a fitting legacy to see the tapestry displayed in a place where the workshops began.
This project would not have been possible without the generosity of the workshop participants, and volunteers and staff at Red Arts and Shenley Welcomes.
We are grateful to our partners at the National Trust: Emily Greaves, Phoebe Meiklejohn-McLaughlin, Gurminder Kenth, and the team at Packwood House. Thanks also to Tina Francis for developing and delivering the community workshops, the support of Joanne Deakin and the BVT Communities team, the financial support of the William A Cadbury Charitable Trust, and everybody who visited the ‘Common Threads’ and ‘Fragments’ exhibitions.
Written by Louise Deakin, Heritage Engagement Officer