Celebrating the Heritage Crafts Association

What does the future hold for our traditional crafts? Once upon a time, the knowledge and skills associated with a particular craft were passed down through the generations or from master to apprentice. However, with the rise of mass production and assembly-line manufacture, demand for these crafts is dwindling and their future uncertain. 

Enter: The Heritage Crafts Association. 

This incredible organisation seeks to fund, support and bring attention to craftspeople from across the UK who are continuing our traditional crafts, using the same methods, processes and skills of the past. Their aim is to preserve, document and promote, ensuring that these crafts are not lost, but continue to be passed on through the generations. I found the HCA while reading “The Man Who Made Things From Trees” - an incredibly insightful and gloriously detailed book written by Robert Penn who communicates his love for traditional crafts with boundless enthusiasm and literary grace (unlike me!). I have just joined the HCA and am incredibly excited to be a part of an organisation whose work matches so closely with my own interests. So to begin this article we’ll have a brief introduction to the HCA and then move on to explore some of their work and outreach projects. We’ll then finish by looking at some of the craftspeople represented by the association as well as their work.

What does the Heritage Crafts Association do? In their own words - 

“In the UK traditional crafts are not recognised as either arts nor heritage so fall outside the remit of all current support and promotion bodies. At the Heritage Crafts Association we are doing what we can to address that situation and safeguard craft skills and knowledge for the future.” 

The HCA was founded in 2010 when “a small group of makers and others interested in craft gathered in a windowless cellar to look into the possibilities of setting up an association to be the umbrella body for heritage crafts”. From these humble beginnings and in the intervening decade, the HCA has become the leading representative and advocate for heritage crafts. In 2012 the Heritage Crafts Awards was set up and has since run as an annual event every year. The awards celebrate individuals who are involved in heritage crafts either as craftspeople, trainers, volunteers or apprentices. The event brings attention to the crafts community as well as supplying much needed funds to individual craftspeople. As well as this event, the HCA also organises regular Craft Skills Forums and the annual HCA conference. The HCA’s ‘Red List of Endangered Crafts’ identifies and assesses the viability and health of our heritage crafts and identifies those that are currently viable to those which are critically endangered. The HCA states that they hope this research “will act as a call to action to those who have it within their power to resolve or alleviate these issues, and that this project will mark the start of long-term monitoring of heritage craft viability and a shared will to avoid the cultural loss that is borne each time a craft dies.” The Red List can be found here, where each craft has a page explaining the history, techniques and issues which affect it as well as a directory of current craftsmen. In support of the crafts found on the Red List the HCA has set up the  Heritage Crafts Fund which provides direct financial support to the makers and trainees practising the endangered crafts. 

Now let us take a closer look at the Red List of Endangered Crafts. A total of 212 crafts now feature on the list, with 4 crafts listed as extinct, 36 considered critically endangered, 70 as endangered and 102 as currently viable. Daniel Carpenter, who is the Red List Project Manager acknowledges that some may view the venture negatively. Indeed, should we not focus on the technologies of the future rather than those of the past? Our cultural practices change and develop over time and so why should we attempt to preserve these crafts which, to some, do not appear to have a place in our modern world. Carpenter suggests however that these are the very reasons why we should, and with great urgency, strive to protect our crafts. It is “not for the sake of our past, but for the sake of their future” that these crafts should be kept alive, allowing the cultural touch stones and knowledge of the past to inform the present. In doing this, the modern craftsperson will have access to the knowledge built up over centuries, guiding him in his own practices and informing its future development. The Red List then, is not a nostalgic attempt at preservation, but a prescient endeavour seeking to enhance and enrich our future, benefiting not only our craftspeople, but the cultural experiences of all. Opening up “Opportunities for our society to have a debate about which parts of our culture we want to carry with us into the future, and for the individuals to use these repositories of knowledge to create rewarding livelihoods for themselves in ways we might not yet even be able to imagine” 

A review of some of the crafts on the Red List

Watchmaking - Critically Endangered 

Between 1630 and 1890, watchmaking in the UK was a booming industry, employing around 20,000 watchmakers in London alone (then around 1/50th of the whole population!). By the end of the 19th century however, the industry in the UK shrank and Switzerland (due to its early adoption of machine production and new construction methods) became the largest manufacturer of watches - a title it still holds to this day. Though restoration of watches is still quite a prominent industry in the UK, the manufacture of hand-made watches is a dying trade, with less than twenty craftspeople still practising the craft. In addition to this, our watchmakers also struggle to find enough work in the UK and many are moving to Switzerland for employment. The rate at which we are losing such craftspeople is also related to the amount of time it takes to train in such a specific and specialist trade. Financial limitations are also a concern as most apprenticeship schemes do not offer any financial support beyond the £3.70/hr apprentice wage. Many of the allied trades in the UK which supply the components for watchmaking are also struggling and need financial support to continue. The watchmaking industry here also does not receive as much trade support as in other countries making UK manufactured watches much more expensive to produce. However, so as not to focus entirely on the negatives, let’s take a look at a watchmaker who is still operational in the UK -

Roger W Smith 

Roger Smith set up his watch making business in 2001 on the Isle of Wight and practices the so-called “Daniel’s Method” of hand-crafted watchmaking which was devised by his mentor George Daniels. Smith’s attention to detail is reflected in his output - with only 12 watches produced a year, there’s no wonder his watches are considered to be some of the finest in the world!  Roger attended a Horology course in Manchester after leaving school and first came into contact with George Daniels (who was one of the most respected watchmakers and the first person in history to make every component of a watch from scratch and by hand.) when he came to do a talk at his school. The meeting turned out to be a pivotal moment in Smith’s career and made him realise the possibilities within his field - “I had no idea who he was, all I knew is that he was someone who made watches by hand. I didn’t even believe that was possible – all the watches around us were industrial. Seeing that watch just blew me away.” After graduating, and with the hope of becoming an apprentice, Smith took a pocket watch he’d made to Daniels. To Smith’s dismay however, Daniels was not impressed and said that the watch looked “hand-made” rather than “created”. Though this was quite a blow to his confidence the event helped him to understand the level of mastery he needed to reach in order to become a professional watchmaker. Daniel’s philosophy was one focused on absolute perfectionism - “A watch should seem to have simply appeared from the air, without any sign of the maker, other than the realisation of their aesthetic”. Smith spent the following half a decade perfecting his skills until he felt he could return to Daniels and prove he was a worthy apprentice. In 1998 (after smith had shown him his latest work) Daniels asked Smith to join him as a collaborator, rather than apprentice, feeling that his skills had developed far beyond that of a trainee-novice. Now with his own business, and prices starting at £100,000, Smith’s watches are known across the globe. What I find most impressive is the fact that all the components (some 225) for his series two watches are all hand-made in his workshop - a point that no other studio in Britain can claim. Smith is optimistic about the future of watchmaking and currently employs eight other watchmakers in his studio.

-Some Pictures from the studio-

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Bowyery - Currently viable

Bowyery (bow making) in the UK is considered to be in good health with many people involved and training in the craft. The main body representing the craft in the UK is the Craft Guild of Traditional Bowery. 

There are currently 45 members of the Guild where each member is “approved as a bowyer, fletcher, stringer or arrow-smith capable of producing items which meet the criteria of the British Long-Bow Society”. The Guild “has modelled itself – as far as modern circumstances allow – on the historic Craft Guilds which once oversaw the quality of the work produced by their members. It arranges for apprentices to learn their skills under the tutelage of more experienced members.” The Guild also provides a forum for craftsmen involved in the trade to communicate and network. The knowledge needed to craft traditional bows was almost lost until the Guild was formed in 1986. Now, to become a member you must submit a “masterwork” to the guild and prove you have the knowledge and skills to be considered a master bowyer, those who earn the title can join the guild and also take on apprentices. There are two other main organisations that represent the craft, one being the Worshipful Company of Bowyers and the other is The British Longbow Society, both of which seek to advance and perpetuate the skills and practice of bow making and shooting. One of the main (and most powerful) types of longbow produced by bowyers today is the English War Bow which is generally made from a single piece of yew (bows fashioned from a single piece of wood are also called “self-bows”). The other type is used for target practice and clout shooting which tends to be smaller and less powerful and made from two pieces of wood fasted together under the handle binding. Much of what we know about the longbow today comes from the wreckage of the Mary Rose, a ship belonging to Henry VII which sank in 1545 and from which 500 arrows and 137 whole longbows were recovered. Yew is the predominant material used for making longbows, but ash and elm are also popular. The demand for yew in the 1500s meant that the yew tree population declined rapidly across the continent and caused much political strife across Europe as countries sought to secure supply. After the battle of Crecy in 1346, which is marked as one of the most successful uses of the English longbow in warfare, new strategies developed which lessened its effectiveness. An example of which is during the battle of Poitiers in 1356 where the famous English chronicler Geoffrey the Baker (died c. 1360) remarked that the soldiers formed a shield wall “protecting their bodies with joined shields, [and] turned their faces away from the missiles. So the archers emptied their quivers in vain"

Tom Mareschall

Tom made his first bow at age seven. As a teenager he was taught to make long bows by a local estate gardener and talented bowyer - in exactly the same way they would have been made 600 years ago. At age fifteen, his mentor died and Tom inherited a fully equipped bow making workshop. Tom now runs Now Strike Archery along with Adam Jenkins and is an accomplished bowyer, wood and metal worker and all around epic craftsperson. Now Strike Archery run a series of classes in bow making, shooting, forging and various other subjects related to the field of archery. Tom says that though he prefers yew when making historically accurate bows, he uses Ash for the demonstration bows he makes as well as the ones made during the courses. Ash is much easier to work as well as being easier to shoot and he says that “shooting a yew war bow [would take] a lifetime of training, just to develop the strength to get maximum power from it”. 

- Tom Mareschall pictured crafting an arrow -

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Harp Making - Endangered

The Harp is considered one of the oldest instruments in the world and (though it has gone through many design iterations through history) its use can be traced back to at least 2500BCE. The earliest harps we know of today were excavated from burial pits at the royal tombs of Ur . These harps were shaped like bows and had few strings as the shape could not support a lot of tension. The Frame harp which had a straight forepillar and is one of the earliest iterations of the modern day harp ( though it still only had around 10 to 12 strings) developed in western Europe in the eighth century. The first harp to have a hollowed sound box dates back to Ireland. This harp also had a stronger neck, curved forepillar and around 30 - 36 brass strings. The earliest known depiction of these harps in the british isles is on an 8th century stone cross. These early harps were fixed to a particular key and could not be tuned, this changed however when a mechanical device was invented in the latter half of the 17th century which allowed the harp’s strings to be raised a half pitch by way of a tuning lever. After this invention, tuning technology has continued to develop and in 1810 the most significant step forward was made with the “Double Action Harp” which can be played in all keys. The invention revolutionised the harp and the technology is still in use today. Now let us take a quick look at a maker representing the craft -

George Stevens 

Stevens is based in Kent and has been building harps - along with lutes, gitterns and citoles - in his workshop since 1998. In 1994 he completed a BSc. Hons in instrument making at the London College of Furniture and has since made 250+ instruments. Though he has made some guitars, he specialises in instruments from the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. Most of his harps are made from sycamore, but he sometimes uses poplar, willow and lime. Stevens is also a published author as well as an accomplished musician and historian. His incredible depth of knowledge of both  instrument history and luthiery shines through in his instruments - works of true “musical sculpture”. In the “processes” section of his website, Steven mentions that his workshop is kept at a constant humidity level which ensures the wood he uses remains stable (does not expand or contract due to moisture gain/loss) during the construction process - a factor he says is essential for instrument making. Stevens lists two specific types of Harp which he makes on his website, the first being the Gothic Harp which has gut strings and is quite small. We then have the Clarsach which is traditional to Ireland and Scotland. Along with these, he has also designed his own line of lap harps which combine modern materials with his knowledge of historical design. Let’s take a closer look -

                 Gothic Harp in Sycamore                              Gothic Harp in Sycamore with antique finish

                     Clarsach Queen Mary style harp                    Clarsach in walnut with brass cheek bands

Coppice Working - Currently Viable 

Now this is a subject I am truly excited about and one I plan to focus on particularly in the future. For now though, let’s have a quick look at the subject and some of the organisations which represent the craft. First let’s understand what coppicing is with this excerpt from Bill Hogarth Memorial Trust’s website: “Coppicing is a traditional, sustainable and productive form of woodland management. In a coppiced wood, trees are regularly cut off at ground level, causing many rods (rather than one large trunk) to grow from the stump or 'stool'. The rods that grow from the stool are straight and long and can be used for many crafts and products . Most of our native trees will coppice well, with the most common species including hazel, ash, oak, birch, alder, and sweet chestnut. A coppiced wood is cut on a cycle, which can be anything from 5 to 30 years, depending on the size of the poles required. The wood is divided into areas or 'coups', equal to the number of years in the cycle, so one area is cut each year until you are back to the beginning.” I also want to offer you a brief history on the subject which was written by Edward Mills who is the Project Manager of Cumbria Broadleaves: “Coppicing has been traced back to Neolithic times by archaeologists who have excavated wooden tracks over boggy ground made entirely of coppiced material. There are written records, going back to at least 1251, which describe the value and type of material cut for woods in East Anglia. Coppicing can provide a constant supply of material for a wide variety of uses. The material is of a size which is easily handled. This was very important before machinery was developed for cutting and transporting large timber, when anything more than 20 miles from a large river could only be used locally. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, coppiced woodlands provided industrial charcoal for the smelting of iron, and bark from which tanning liquors were prepared.” The National Coppice Federation represents regional coppice groups across the UK and helps to promote coppicing as a positive economical, ecological and social force. The Bill Hogarth Memorial Trust is also a leader in the promotion of the craft and aims to “ensure that the coppicing skills of Bill Hogarth [a luminary figure in coppice working and respected teacher] are recognised for their full worth and their continuity secured by setting up a broad based apprenticeship scheme. We are a group of concerned individuals involved in various ways in the coppice industry.” They run a yearly four day long course in coppice working as well as an incredible three year apprenticeship programme. The last organisation I will mention is the Small Woods Association who are one of the leading forces in the promotion of suitable woodland management, coppice training and woodland crafts. Their courses cover a wide range of topics related to the subject and also run the The National Coppice Apprenticeship (based on the Bill Hogarth Apprenticeship model). They also have a membership scheme where members benefit from a quarterly magazine, course fee reductions and a 1-1 forestry advice call line.     

And lastly I will leave you with some reserved, yet hopeful remarks from BHMT on the future of coppicing “Although coppicing is a traditional way to manage woodlands, from the 1960's coppicing as a trade started to decline as modern, synthetic materials came in which were cheaper and more easily available. Sadly, throughout Britain there are acres of derelict coppice that badly need managing. However, there has recently been a resurgence of coppicing, as it is a totally sustainable and environmentally friendly woodland management system.”

...As well as this wonderful video from the BHMT about their four day “Woodland Pioneers” coppicing course.