The campaign to save Portland works is entering it’s last days now. The planning meeting will be some time between now and 18th February. Portland is the first place in the world where stainless steel was made into cutlery, probably more people in the world today use stainless cutlery than speak the English Language, it could be argued to be…
The February Edition of countryman magazine features several articles on traditional crafts. I bought it because there is a 4 page feature on my bowlturning work with some nice discussion about the Heritage Crafts Association. There is also a nice feature on the work of Paul Felix who has been photographing traditional craftspeople for 20 years. He has a wonderful…
Last week I posted about visiting a traditional Sheffield pocketknife maker with Jon Henley from the Guardian. Now you can see Jon’s slide show here. Appologies for wrong link posted yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/audioslideshow/2010/jan/26/sheffield-pocket-knife-trevor-ablett If you like it why not post a comment here or sign up to the guardian site and post a comment below the slide show. The more interest…
Visiting Trevor Ablett last week reminded me that I never posted pictures of the folding knife makers I visited in Spain last October. There were many similarities and some differences between the two businesses which I would like to discuss at the bottom but first some pictures of the workshop. This is Antonio Diaz Bermudez of Taramundi a traditional knifemaking…
Another busy day on Heritage Crafts Association work today, but then my workshop is still snowbound so it’s easier to get into Sheffield. First meeting was a very positive visit to Kelham Island Museum to meet the director of Sheffield’s Industrial Museums Trust, John Hamshere. John was very interested in the work of the HCA, enthusiastic and supportive. We are…
Friday I went to London again and had a day of meetings, first with Kathryn Hollingsworth director of Aawaz communications PR company and a basketmaker. Kathryn and her friend Andrea are happy to help the Heritage Crafts Association with our PR work and bring a wealth of experience. Next stop was DCMS to meet with Annabel Houghton the adviser on…
Most folk reading this probably know we are having a bit of a cold snap in the UK at the moment. Truth is all that has happened is that the warm weather we come to expect coming off the Atlantic has stopped for a while so we are experiencing the sort of weather most folk would expect this far North.…
“Where can I get information about apprenticeships in traditional crafts?” is a question I am often asked. The other question when I publicise the work of old traditional craftspeople who are the last doing a particular skill is why don’t they have an apprentice. People ask me the same thing. I would like to discus the very real difficulties involved…
I just wanted to share with my blog readers a rather wonderful blog by a Savile Row Tailor Thomas Mahon. “The English Cut” This was an early blog post from March 2005 “I do think the institution that has clothed most of the world’s most influential people for the best part of two hundred years deserves Heritage Status. And it…
My first blog post of 2009 talked about the need for a traditional craft organisation here. Just a year on I feel so much more positive about the future of traditional craft skills. We still have a way to go but the foundations have been laid for 2010 to be the year when traditional crafts become recognised as an important…
