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National Needlework Archive
For day to day, special, and up to date information, such as closures due to bad weather etc., please click here to go onto our Facebook page.
The Old Chapel Textile Centre in Newbury, home of the National Needlework Archive, offer courses, workshops and exhibitions in sewing, haberdashery, needlecraft, textiles, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting and textile art. Our shop carries an extensive range of all needlework and sewing products including fabric, threads, wool, zips and patterns. We have an archive of historic textiles and patterns and are home to The Country Wife mural.
Archives and Study Collection
The NNA specialises in community textiles. We keep records of textiles, an extensive reference library and a textile collection
The Old Chapel Textile Centre is a voluntary community project providing space for needlework and textile courses, workshops, exhibitions, conferences and events and is the home of the National Needlework Archive and the 'Country Wife' mural circa 1951.
The National Needlework Archive (NNA) was founded in 1998 as a charity and moved to The Old Chapel, Greenham Business Park, Newbury, in 2010. The chapel offers a great work space,educational space, as well as housing a growing collection of historical needlecraft items and database.
We aim to include all areas of the community in education and promotion of all aspects of needlecraft and textile art.
The Old Chapel Textile Centre is open from Saturday 1st March to Saturday 6th December 2025 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the 1st Saturday of each month from 10am to 4pm.
Please keep in touch by following The Old Chapel Textile Centre pages on facebook & Instagram.
Conservation of the Country Wife Mural -
Designed by Constance Howard, and made by her and some of her students at Goldsmiths College, the mural now resides at the National Needlework Archive
The NNA can be contacted on 01635 38740 or nat.n.a@live.co.uk
Opening times for 2025:-
Saturday 1st March to 6th December 2025
Tuesday, Thursday, and the first Saturday of each month
10am to 4pm
JOB VACANCY -
We are looking for two new staff members to work two days per week each at the shop to cover our four opening days. We would especially welcome applicants with retail experience and an interest in sewing or other related crafts.
Initially for a period of six months, the jobs are based in Southampton town centre.
The NNA is a textile art charity and the shop will be selling donated items of a specialist needle/craft nature such as fabric and haberdashery. It will also be selling kits, books, rug making items, and some new promotional items relating to the NNA. Guest artists will be displaying and selling their work. The positions require each person to take responsibility for running the shop for two days per week.
The shop will be closed from 3pm on Saturday 20th December to Friday 2nd January for the Christmas break.
Responsibilities between the two staff will include supervising volunteers, stock display and control, till operation, customer service, maintaining health and safety procedures, arranging and publicising small events within the shop, maintaining social media for the shop, keeping the premises clean and tidy, repacking goods, listing ebay sales, taking in and recording any donations, liaising with the NNA hub in Newbury, and other retail tasks as they arise.
Enquiries by email to nat.n.a@live.co.uk.
Closing date for completed applications: 12th November 2025
The NNA team is cheerful, welcoming, and flexible. This is an exciting new project with great possibilities and we would love to hear from you if you are committed, creative, and reliable. There is a disabled toilet in the Centre via a lift and the shop itself is on the ground floor.
APPLICATIONS:
Thank you for your interest in working at The Green Sewing Shop in Southampton. We would be glad if you would apply by email to nat.n.a@live.co.uk including the following information:
Name
Address
Phone number
Email address
Date of birth
Education history
Employment history
Interests and Hobbies
Feel free to add any further information you think would be relevant.
State if you have a preference for which two days of the week you would wish to work
Names and contact details of two referees, one of whom should be your last employer.
[Referees will not be contacted until after a successful interview]
Applications should arrive by 4pm on 12th November with interviews and start dates to be as soon as possible after that date.
WE WILL ALSO NEED VOLUNTEERS to help us in this Southampton venture and if you are interested in giving us a few hours a week to work in a cheerful, creative environment, we would love to hear from you. Email us on nat.n.a@live.co.uk
Volunteers could assist with -