Bridget Guest (former General Manager at Quaker Tapestry Museum) shares her fond memories of Richard and Ann Taylor, Quaker Tapestry members, supporters, volunteers and friends, who sadly died this year.
“I first met this devoted and hospitable couple in the mid-1990s when they retired and moved to Cumbria from the Newcastle area. In their working life I believe that Richard had a background in finance and Ann was a nurse.
Richard was invited to join the Quaker Tapestry board of trustees, as both Company Secretary and Treasurer. His diligent attention to detail and accuracy over the many years in this role were greatly valued. His handwriting however, was so tiny that sometimes I needed interpretation. He was a keen philatelist, like my father, and when my parents visited Kendal to volunteer at the Quaker Tapestry they would meet up to chat about stamps. My father is knowledgeable about Captain Cook and Richard was instrumental in persuading my father to give a talk about his Captain Cook stamp collection at the Kendal philatelic society.
Ann was a passionate plants woman, she had a huge collection of Clematis in their garden in Kirkby Lonsdale and took great pleasure in giving visitors a guided tour. In the summer months I remember my delight when their house and garden was sometimes used for our trustee or business meetings. Ann would lend me botanical books that she thought I would find interesting or useful with my work at the museum. When we were looking for photographs of specimens of the various flora to include in the museums Quaker Botanists book, I remember asking if she knew of a Tulip Tree growing nearby. A few days later Ann produced a whole flowering branch from a Tulip Tree for me to photograph for the book. I didn’t like to ask where it came from, she kept that quiet. I was quickly encouraged out into the museum garden while the flower was still looking its best, Ann held the branch up high so that I could photograph the specimen from below with the blue Kendal sky above, simulating that we’d taken the photo of a branch from an actual tree.
They were great ambassadors for the Quaker Tapestry Museum and marvellous at fundraising, hosting many slide talks country wide. Ann had lots of stories of the Quaker Tapestry to share with their audiences whilst Richard worked the slide projector and the ‘mini shop’, using his charm to persuade people to part with their money. They seemed to have family and contacts to stay with in every town or city in Britain. It was a running joke within the trustees that any new trustee would probably know Richard.
They joined us as volunteers on many of our roadshows around the country. Richard and Ann were great fun to have as part of the team, both enjoying the camaraderie of sharing the various tasks with other willing volunteers. As those who’ve joined us at roadshows know, this all helped to create the wonderful family atmosphere during those long weeks we were all away from home.
My partner Roy and I were privileged to be invited to some of their own family gatherings in the area. We enjoyed getting to know their grandchildren and watching them grow over the years. I remember, many years ago, Ann and Richard volunteering some of their younger grandchildren for a marketing photo shoot at the Quaker Tapestry. The children seemed to enjoy their role of posing. I feel very blessed to have had Ann and Richard in my Tapestry life and they will both be greatly missed by those who worked alongside them within the organisation.”
Richard Taylor. 16th July 1928 – 4th January 2022 Ann Taylor. 25th August 1934 – 6th September 2022
Ways to Support the Quaker Tapestry Museum
Buy lovely things from us – Our museum shop in Kendal and our online shop are full of fantastic gifts
Make a donation to our work – Did you know that we’re a registered charity as well as a visitor attraction?
Plan a visit to the Quaker Tapestry Museum – Encourage others to visit too, you can now book your tickets online
Book a short break – Stay in our charming onsite Courtyard Flat via Airbnb
Become a Quaker Tapestry Member – Annual or Life Memberships are available, or you can gift a Membership
