The Longest Yarn II Britain at War
The Longest Yarn II - Britain at War will be on display at Blackburn Cathedral from 7th January until 7th February 2026.
As part of our Centenary celebrations, we are delighted to be hosting The Longest Yarn II - Britain at War exhibition at Blackburn Cathedral from Wednesday 7th January until Saturday 7th February 2026.
It is a striking, 80m exhibition of knitted and crocheted panels depicting life in Britain between the declaration of war in September 1939 to VE Day in May 1945.
Due to large numbers of visitors, if you plan to bring a group of 10+ people to view the exhibition, please contact us in advance to ensure that we have the capacity to facilitate your visit.
About The Longest Yarn
This impressive exhibition of intricate knitted wartime scenes has been visited and loved by thousands and we're delighted to be hosting it at Blackburn Cathedral.
Hundreds of volunteer knitters from across the UK have created a stunning set of 80 individual knitted panels, each depicting a scene of Britain during wartime.
It builds on the international success of The Longest Yarn, an exhibition of scenes from D-Day, which following a tour of the UK, is now in the USA.
About the Exhibition
This impressive exhibition of intricate knitted wartime scenes has been visited and loved by thousands and the work that has gone into the storytelling panels is informed by guidance from expert historians.
The individual knitter often has a personal connection with the story they portray - sometimes a relative, sometimes a place or moment in time, making this a truly unique, heartfelt and historically important exhibition.
About the Panels
Each individual panel tells a different story of a significant event including:
The outbreak of war, The King’s Speech, The Blitz and bombing of cities, Britons coping with the war, The Home Guard, The Women’s Land Army, Rationing, The euphoria of victory etc...
There are also eight life-sized manikins to accompany the display, each depicting different people and their war-time roles.
Visiting the Longest Yarn
The Cathedral will be open from 8.30am until 4.30pm on most days for viewing throughout the exhibition (some entry restrictions may apply on certain days).
Entry is by donation which supports the cost of hosting the exhibition and visitor generosity enables us to host further events like this in the future.
Full visitor information and opening hours will be released in due course.
