Keiron Tovell – SWNS
A great-great grandmother dubbed the ‘Queen of Knitting’ has created a massive six-foot long replica of Buckingham Palace made entirely out of wool.
Margaret Seaman spent eight months knitting the model of His Majesty’s main residence in London, after taking up the craft seriously just 10 years ago.
Even better, the 93-year-old has used her craft to raise over $120,000 for charities and gets stopped on the street because of her new celebrity status.
“Now, when I sit in the car whilst we’re out, people knock on my window and say, ‘are you the lady that does the knitting?
“But I don’t feel any different—I’m still Margaret.”
Her most recent creation, the woolly Buckingham Palace, has been lovingly built over months with polystyrene blocks for structure and wiring to create the gates.
It features tiny guards with bear-skin hats and pedestrians staring up at the grand palace, with landscaping and trees around the structure.
Knitted Buckingham – SWNS
It is now standing on display at The Forum in Norwich’s Norfolk Makers Festival until March 19.
Despite the adoration she has received she won’t commit to creating any more of the royal estates, saying the intricate gate detail was the hardest thing to make.
“I just love a big challenge and I like to keep myself busy. I never dreamed it would lead to all this excitement.”
The mother of four is grandmother to 13, great-grandmother to two, and a great-great-grandmother to one little boy.
“I find it hard to walk,” said the widow from Caistor-on-Sea in Norfolk. “My gardening and walking days are over but I can sit and knit and raise money for good causes.”
Knitted Buckingham gates – SWNS
She joined a knitting club for the company after she lost her 86-year-old husband Fred.
The retired amusement park owner rose to fame after she spent 13 hours a day creating the royal Sandringham Palace in Norfolk in 2019, complete with stables.
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She then got bored during the Covid-19 pandemic and turned 34 balls of wool into an NHS ‘Knittinghale Hospital’.
She lost count of how many balls of wool she used for Buckingham Palace, estimating “at least 100” balls were used, donated from the Wool Warehouse.
Margaret, who lives with her 74-year-old daughter says, “I usually knit for about eight or nine hours during the day and then I go to bed at 9pm and I knit for another three or four hours.
“It’s all in my head normally, I don’t stop to write things down. I always think that’s a waste of time.
“I start on a piece, work so far on it and then if I get stuck and can’t think what to do next, I leave it and start on something else. Usually I’ve got five or six pieces on the go at the same time and I work on whichever one my brain tells me to do.”
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By displaying her incredible works she has raised over £100,000 ($120,000) for different causes and she just donated £10,000 to the three major hospitals in Norfolk.
The Producer of the Norfolk Makers Festival, Jayne Evans, said she was not shocked when Margaret was awarded the British Empire medal (BEM) after she first displayed her Knitted Sandringham—based on the Royal family’s country estate.
Knitted Sandringham – SWNS
“Margaret has wowed the crowds at our Festival for years now. She is a role model for both older people and younger generations and has become like a dear Grandmother to me.”
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She was also aptly awarded the ‘Oldie Champion Knitter of the Year’ bestowed by the Oldie Magazine and presented by the Duchess of Cornwall in 2021.
With her latest project, Margaret hopes to raise money for the new children’s hospice in Addenbrookes Hospital, in Cambs.
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