Special tribute to poet is sew fitting

Apr 28 2009 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PANELS displaying embroidery depicting the life and work of celebrated Perth poet William Soutar were unveiled on Friday at the AK Bell Library Theatre.

The Theatre is also to be renamed the Soutar Theatre in honour of one of the Fair City's most famous sons.

The intricate and colourful embroidery pieces are the handiwork of the Perth branch of the Embroiderers Guild. Around 16 members have been working for a year-and-a-half on the two panels which show scenes from Soutar’s poems and pictures of Perth landmarks such as Soutar’s House and Perth Bridge.

The panels, which each measure three metres by one metre, were commissioned by the Council’s Community Libraries and Resources Manager, Caroline Beaton, to promote and celebrate Soutar’s work.

The Guild liaised with the council’s writer-in-residence and Soutar expert Ajay Close over what should be depicted on the panels.

Lifelong Learning Convener, Councillor Liz Grant officially unveiled the Soutar Panels at AK Bell Library’s Theatre, where they will hang, in front of a specially invited audience. She also announced the Theatre's name change.

Councillor Grant said: “These unique panels are very beautiful and will help to promote the work of William Soutar for many generations to come.

“They are works of art in their own right. The specialist needlework techniques used are astonishingly skilled, and the end result is breathtaking.

“I would like to congratulate the members of the Embroiderers Guild on their brilliant and skilled work. I would also like to thank them for agreeing to produce these panels, which will be enjoyed by residents and visitors to Perth and Kinross for many years to come. The Guild has created two fantastic new pieces of Perth heritage which more than do justice to the amazing legacy of William Soutar.

“The renaming of the Theatre at AK Bell Library will help to raise the profile of William Soutar and hopefully gain him and his work even more recognition, as well as give the Theatre a positive new identity.”

William Soutar is arguably Perth's most famous literary son, and is regarded as one of the leading Scottish poets of all time.

He died tragically young at the age of 45 in 1943, having spent many years virtually bed-ridden. Two volumes of his poetry have been published by Perth and Kinross Libraries.

As a tribute to Soutar, Perth and Kinross library service set up a William Soutar website in 2001 – www.williamsoutar.com