The New World Tapestry, which is the world’s largest stitched embroidery, has been made available online in its entirety.

The tapestry, which is over eighty metres long and consists of twenty four panels, is the work of 256 tapissiers over a twenty-year period.

The first stitch was sewn in 1980 by US Ambassador Kingman Brewster, and the project was completed with a stitch by Prince Charles, in 2000, at Highgrove. Stitches were also made by HM the Queen, HM the Queen Mother, HRH Prince Philip, HRH the Princess Royal and HRH the Duchess of Gloucester.

The tapestry depicts the beginnings of English colonisation in Newfoundland, Guiana, Bermuda and North America from 1583 until 1642 – when the first English Civil War began with the raising of King Charles I’s standard at Nottingham. A number of Cambridge alumni and colleges feature on the panels.

Colleges featured on the tapestry include Pembroke, Trinity, Emmanuel and Jesus.

The tapestry was gifted to the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol, but will not be on display until the museum is re-located to London in 2012. At present, it is only accessible via the website.

The designer, Tom Mor, is a humorous illustrator from Girton. He emphasised the value of the tapestry as an educational tool, and the importance of its easy availability.

"It is available for schools, colleges or anyone interested in education," he said.

"They have a unique tool here. It is a huge source of information. We want to get over the importance of Cambridge in Anglo-American history. A lot of people who have been forgotten have been highlighted in the tapestry."

"So many came from Cambridge colleges, and so many risked their lives or paid with their lives to set up America."

Putting the tapestry on to the website was an arduous process, which has taken two years and is still not yet fully complete. It is anticipated that every panel will be online by the end of summer this year.

The tapestry can be viewed at newworldtapestry.co.uk.