I just watched this new DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. Peter makes joined furniture from green wood mostly oak in the 17th century style at Plimoth Plantation Museum in the US. He has seriously studied the craft learning much from original pieces and recreating exactly the techniques, toolmarks and spirit of the work. This chair is currently available on his…
For years Bucklebury has been a little known spot in rural Berkshire but it was once rather famous and it seems it is about to become so again. When HV Morton set out “in Search of England” in 1927 he drove out of London looking for the soul of Englishness. The very first place he stopped was Bucklebury; “I would…
All of a sudden I have heard lots of folk talking about “sloyd”. Like “utsushi” in my last post this is a foreign word which has many subtle meanings which are lost in the normal translation simply as “handcraft”. This word I know a little more about though having spent some time in Sweden and teaching at the national handcraft…
Is this utsushi? In the recent Western art world innovation and creative genius has been admired beyond all other attributes yet it is rare that it can stand alone without previously putting years in to mastering technique. Often we feel we are admiring genius but in fact it is as much the mastery that is impressive. If we look at…
From The Times online “IN A SMALL room overlooking a quiet North London street, Jost Haas sits in a white coat at a cluttered table, delicately blowing into a glass tube until a ball bubbles out from the end. Using skills unchanged for 170 years, he is making an artificial eye such as those that stare unseeing from a wooden…
I was at Portland Works in Sheffield last week and wanted to share a couple of pics of Andrew at Wigful tools grinding a 3″ bolster chisel. I have learnt a lot from Sheffield folk about grinding, forging, hardening and tempering steel but when I see proper professionals at work I still feel very much an amateur with my metalwork.…
I have written about Standard Quay at Faversham before here and there was a good article in the Guardian here Now is your chance in just a few seconds to help save this historic dockyard for the purpose it was intended. Simply follow this link and sign the epetition to show the local council that folk across the country and around…
This is a project by film maker turned photographer Tim Clements, the photos are copyright but Tim is a fan of HCA and has kindly let us share them with you. This is Tim’s explanation of the project “I am making a series of 50 photographs celebrating independent Trades and Crafts People who make a living from their trade in…
In the UK our heritage of historic buildings is recognised, protected and promoted but the living heritage associated with those buildings is not, only the dead fabric of the buildings as this case will show. Pottery has been made at Farnham from Roman times and the 16th century saw large scale production for the London market. The current pottery was…
I want to talk a little about simplicity. It is something that has always been important to me but today’s thoughts were set off by a friend Steve Tomlin who carved this spoon. “I tried to get back to simplicity.” I used to collect quotes which inspired me in my reading and write them up on posters on my wall.…
