Updated November 2022

Watch an overview of our year of bunting from initial designs to the brilliant exhibition at Roman Vindolanda and lans for what next for our nearly 3000 pieces of bunting! Continue reading to find out more about the 1900 challenge, where all the flags came from and our thoughts on the project.

In January The Vindolanda Trust launched the 1900 Bunting Challenge. The ambitious aim was to get 1900 flags of bunting which would then be strung together to form an exhibition at Roman Vindolanda in October 2022. The 1900 target was to celebrate 1900 years since the construction of Hadrian's Wall, as part of the Hadrian's Wall 1900 Festival programme. The original concept was the idea of Lynne Barber of Knot Unique, who designed the crochet patterns. The crochet patterns were then complimented with a knitting pattern designed by Clare Macaulay.  You can download the patterns below and use them for other craft projects (now that the event is over we don't need any more bunting sent in)!

Patterns

The public response to the challenge has been amazing. From Corbridge to Canada, bunting flags have been arriving from all over the world and we have now received over 2,500 flags. Flags have been knitted, crocheted and stitched and are an array of beautiful colours with people using up left over wool.

Penny Trichler, Events Coordinator at the Vindolanda Trust commented "The response has been overwhelming. The submissions are wonderful and we appreciate all the time and effort that has been put into each flag. This was an opportunity for everyone who has been inspired by Hadrian's Wall, no matter where they are in the world, to become part of the celebration of this iconic landmark and its impact over the 1900 years it has been standing".

The deadline for bunting flag submission was 23rd September with all the flags received then strung together for the main exhibition.

Penny Trichler comments "Bringing all these colourful flags together for the main exhibition is going to be a wonderful sight, but that is not going to be the end of their journey. After the exhibition the flags will all be washed and dried and then we hope to work with local community crafting groups to create Roman shield blankets which will then be given to charities. This is a wonderful legacy of the challenge and means that the time and effort individuals have put into to creating the flags will have been very much worth it". 

The 1900 Bunting exhibition has been on display on the replica sections of Hadrian's Wall at Vindolanda. The flags truly came into their own on display all together and fluttering in the breeze over Vindolanda.

It is great to see the amazing collaboration of so many volunteers from around the world bringing this challenge to life and making it such a wonderful and exciting exhibition. A huge thank you to all of those who have contributed to the challenge whether knitting, crocheting or stitching, we hope you have enjoyed the experience as much as we have. It really has been a huge community effort from across the globe. The bunting flags have come from as far away as Australia and Canada too as close as Corbridge and Haltwhistle, and many places in between. To view a map of where all of our flags have travelled from click below. 

Bunting Flag Map