AN exhibition celebrating the painting, drawing and needlework of Lord Montagu’s mother, Belinda, Lady Montagu, will open in the ancestral family home of Palace House at Beaulieu from Easter and run for the rest of 2019.

The Art of Belinda, Lady Montagu – Her Story in Stitches will feature previously unseen pieces, as well as work for her family, the Beaulieu attraction and ecclesiastical commissions.

The new exhibition, in the former private wing of Palace House, will show the wide range of her work, from colourfully painted house interiors and fittings to a beautifully detailed applique screen for the nursery.

Her rich and varied designs have taken inspiration from nature and her surroundings, as well as her imagination.

Ornate boxes, cushions, wall hangings, picture frames, drawings and handbags will add detail to the exhibition, while family fancy dress costumes designed and made for parties will form bold centrepieces.

Lord Montagu said: “For my sister Mary and me, it will be a great pleasure to stage this in recognition of all the wonderful work my mother has created through the decades.”

Belinda, Lady Montagu has designed and made kneelers for Salisbury Cathedral and altar frontals for St Luke’s Garrison Church in Soest, Germany.

In 1979, she was commissioned by the New Forest Association to create a 20ft long applique embroidery to illustrate 900 years of New Forest history. With the help of 60 volunteers, it took two years to complete and is on display in the New Forest Heritage Centre in Lyndhurst.

The was followed by Belinda’s largest commission, a series of seven embroidered wall hangings, recounting the story of Beaulieu Abbey from its foundation in 1204 to its dissolution in 1538. The hangings, which took seven years to complete, can still be seen in Beaulieu Abbey Domus.

Other commissions have included presentation cushions for HM The Queen, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, HRH Prince of Wales and kneelers for the wedding of HRH Prince Edward to Sophie Rhys-Jones at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.