Whilst I was away in Germany last week my MP Tom Levitt visited Mike Turnock the country’s last sievemaker. More info on Tom’s website here After the visit Tom wrote to me saying that he is going to apply for an adjournment debate on the conservation of heritage craft skills. These are allocated by ballot so there is no guarantee…
This excellent article was published in the Times on SaturdayGardeners turning to the rural craftsmen to sweep away gloom by Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor The worst recession in 60 years might have hit the City hard, but the world of traditional country crafts is enjoying something of a boom.Across Britain craftsmen who have been honing their skills without fanfare for…
The Textile Conservation Centre was founded in 1975 by Karen Finch OBE and was based at Hampton Court Palace for nearly 25 years. It is of international importance having trained over half of the textile conservators working in the world today. In 1998 the Centre merged with the University of Southampton, one of the UK’s top research-led universities, and in…
I am a huge fan of traditional pottery and draw a lot of inspiration from potters, their work, their pots and in many cases their writing too. Pottery seems to have a connection with the earth and with it’s historical routes in a way that I like to think my work does but much of woodworking in the UK has…
It is a common misconception that crafts die out when they become outdated and uneconomic in the modern world. The reality is always more complex and I want to share an example to show what typically happens when an old craft finally dies. Simple wooden hay rakes have been a part of British life for 1000 years or more. This…
I find it is very helpful to me in my work to occasionally go and spend some time working with another craftsman. To learn new unrelated skills often is very inspirational, I guess I am lucky in that after working in the crafts for many years I know many of the best traditional craftspeople in the country. I used to…
Last night we rewatched “Kinky Boots” a very entertaining and amusing film based on the true story of how one old established shoe company faced with cheap imports and declining sales diversified into fetish footwear. One thing I had not really appreciated when I first watched it were the lovely close up shots of the antiquated machinery working thick leather…
This week I have been working with Tim Clements a documentary film maker who is starting work on a project to make a documentary on heritage craftspeople. It was a very interesting process I think for both of us. Tim had interesting ideas about what he wanted but was feeling his way and using me as a guinea pig to…
Lost Crafts by Una McGovern has been a surprisingly good read. The book covers around 100 crafts with about 3 pages each. I expected it to be superficial and poorly written, the sort of thing you get in the local paper. In fact each craft gets a very accurate and concise summary with interesting anecdotes. The range chosen is interesting…
We don’t have a TV but several folk told me I should watch the BBCs “Victorian Farm” on iplayer. Most of the presenters are friends, Ruth Goodman a Tudor expert has used my bowls for years, the latest episode featured two other friends Owen Jones my all time craft hero and in my opinion a “living national treasure” this is…
