Based at the magnificent Hampton Court Palace, south-west London, we offer a thriving education programme for everyone from beginner to degree level. 

We teach Online and In Person at venues across the UK including Hampton Court Palace (London), Bristol, Rugby, Durham and Glasgow as well as internationally in America and Japan. 

Our renowned Embroidery Studio creates stunning bespoke embroidery commissions for fashion, art and royalty, as well as expertly restoring and conserving valuable and historical embroidered pieces, restoring historical textiles and bringing heirlooms back to life.

The early history of the Royal School of Needlework is linked with the social, cultural and political history of Victorian and Edwardian Britain.

Founded by Lady Victoria Welby, the ‘Royal School of Needlework’ began as the ‘School of Art Needlework’ in 1872 in a small room above a bonnet shop in Sloane Street, London, initially employing 20 ladies, moving in 1903 to a new purpose-built centre on Exhibition Road close to the V&A Museum where, at its peak, the Royal School of Needlework employed around 150 workers.

The work of our staff and students can be seen throughout the country. We loan pieces of our historical collection for public exhibitions and our restoration work done by our expert Embroidery Studio team can be seen by thousands of people every year at locations such as Dover Castle, Canterbury Cathedral and Buckfast Abbey.

Our Schools & Communites programmes encourage creativity and self-expression, support mental well-being through mindful stitching, and build community connections through shared artistic activities.

The RSN Fellowship Programme was launched in 2024 to recognise the significant commitment and expertise of RSN professional embroiderers and tutors and celebrate the high standards achieved after three years of dedicated study across a broad variety of hand embroidery techniques and applications.