Craft used to be an essential part of British life, with workshops and studios in every community. But many of Britain’s traditional crafts are now endangered, and some have already disappeared. James Fox has spent the last three years travelling the length and breadth of Britain in search of the country’s last great craftspeople. In this talk, he shares extraordinary stories of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bell-founders and watchmakers — and shows that even in this age of automation and algorithms, there is still a place for the handmade.
James Fox is an academic, bestselling author and multi-award-winning, BAFTA-nominated broadcaster, known for his many acclaimed BBC documentaries. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain.
Presented by Elmbridge Borough Council in association with Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre
Bookselling partner: Cobham Bookshop