Abstract
Britain is a country of crafts and craftspeople: from the kiltmakers in Edinburgh and the coopers in North Yorkshire, to the cricket ball makers in the heart of London.
But many of these skills are in danger of dying out. With 147 endangered and critically endangered crafts on the Heritage Craft Red List, and many skilled professions now being listed as extinct, our failure to appreciate and nurture these crafts is threatening them becoming lost forever.
In this book Jay Blades and Charlotte Reather travelled the UK to shine a light on ten key British heritage crafts and met the makers and apprentices fighting to keep them alive.
But many of these skills are in danger of dying out. With 147 endangered and critically endangered crafts on the Heritage Craft Red List, and many skilled professions now being listed as extinct, our failure to appreciate and nurture these crafts is threatening them becoming lost forever.
In this book Jay Blades and Charlotte Reather travelled the UK to shine a light on ten key British heritage crafts and met the makers and apprentices fighting to keep them alive.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Made In Britain |
| Subtitle of host publication | A Road Trip to Save Britain's Heritage Crafts |
| Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Edition | 1 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 10 Oct 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Britain is a country of craftspeople, yet the nation's heritage crafts and traditional skills are dying out, with some close to extinction.From canal art in the Black Country to kilt making in Edinburgh, coopering in North Yorkshire and damask linen weaving in Northern Ireland, join Jay and Charlotte as they travel the length and breadth of the country, battling poor weather, Covid and Jay's insatiable need for sustenance, to talk to some of Britain's most inspirational artisans.
Discover craftspeople such as heavy horse collar maker Terry Davis, who creates a bespoke collar for HRH Princess Anne's Suffolk Punch, and basket maker Jonathan Coate in Somerset who is already passing on his skills to three young apprentices. Coracle boat making is alive and well in Shropshire and Wales, but for how much longer? Meanwhile the death of cricket ball making in the UK reveals how serious the situation is.
With the help of Heritage Crafts, the national charity set up to celebrate, support and safeguard traditional craft skills, the duo learn of the vital need to encourage younger generations into the sector and connect with diverse communities, to ignite a Craft Renaissance for all and in turn create a paradigm shift with people valuing the real and handmade over the artificial.
With a foreward by British potter and ceramic designer, Keith Brymer Jones, a keen advocate and educator in the crafts field, and photography by Charles Sainsbury-Plaice - generously supported by luxury jewellers 886 by The Royal Mint, who champion traditional craftsmanship, Made In Britain marks the start of a new Arts and Crafts movement for the 21st century.
Keywords
- Craft
- Artisanal Craft
- Damask Linen
- Northern Ireland
- Irish Linen,
- Linen Design
- Linen Weaving
- Heritage Craft
- Traditional Crafts
- Critically Endangered Craft Linen Damas Handloom Weaving
