Trading Places: Traditional Craft Courses

2 day basket making course in the Stanwick Lakes nature reserve - suitable for beginners and more advanced learners. Our 1 day ‘Introduction to Basket Making’ course has been so popular we now provide a 2 day course as well. It is still suitable for people who are new to basket making but is also designed for those who would like to develop their skills and techniques further. Beginners will have the rewarding experience of...

Learn to make a willow basket in the beautiful Stanwick Lakes nature reserve! Our one day Basket Making course is the perfect introduction to one of the oldest crafts known, basket remains dating back to 8,000BC have been found in Egypt! During our ‘Introductory Day’ you will learn the traditional skills necessary to make a small round willow basket for holding fruit, bread, vegetables etc. Working with buff willow that has been pre-soaked and mellowed,...

This one day course introduces the basic skills of Blacksmithing, a trade that used to be found in every village and was at the heart of countryside life for hundreds of years. You will learn about managing the forge and heating your steel to around 1200 degrees Celsius. Discover the techniques of drawing down and shaping the metal on the anvil – then bending, forming and quenching your work until it is transformed from a...

Learn dry stone walling in the beautiful Stanwick Lakes nature reserve! Please contact us if you'd like to book a place on this course as a date will be organised once we have sufficient interest. This one day introductory Dry Stone Walling Course provides hands-on experience to learn the basics of dry stone walling. Ideal for those looking to extend or repair an existing wall or (like many of our previous participants) you just want...

2 day Introduction to Green Woodworking course in the beautiful Stanwick Lakes nature reserve. Make a rustic stool or side table using traditional tools and techniques! This introductory Green Woodwork course is an ideal opportunity to try a great traditional craft. You’ll start this course by being given a simple ash log and end it with your own unique piece of rustic furniture. Traditional tools and techniques will be used throughout the two days, including...

3 day introductory shoe making course in the beautiful Stanwick Lakes national park. Make your own pair of leather shoes in our purpose built craft barn! The Northamptonshire writer, H E Bates, recalled childhood memories of watching his grandfather at work. ‘He could, after the tradition of centuries, create a boot or shoe from the sole upwards, stabbing and stitching with his own hands. I am able still, to see him to perfection in the...

Wooden spoons have been carved for thousands of years and, for most of the population, continued as an eating utensil until relatively recently. ‘Spoon’ was originally an Anglo-Saxon word that meant ‘a chip of wood’. Spoon carving requires only a few tools and within hours you can create a unique and practical item from a wooden log! On this 1 day introductory course you will begin by learning how to cleave the wood and use...

Willow animal sculpture at the Trading Places Craft Barn at Stanwick Lakes. Please get in touch to go on the mailing list for future dates, as soon as they are available. The theme for this course will be to make a 2 foot (ish) high willow animal. Choose from a Hare, an Egret, a Heron, a Goose or a Sheep. The course will cover the techniques required and all the tools and materials are supplied...

A 2 day course to make your very own willow reindeer sculpture. The theme for this course will be to make a 3 foot high reindeer in time for this Christmas season. The course will cover the techniques required and all the tools and materials are supplied including the wire frame. The tutor for the day is local willow weaver and artist Sue Kirk. Sue will also cover how to care for your sculpture so...

Have you ever wanted to learn the traditional craft of Wood Carving? This 2 day course is suitable for those just starting out and also for carvers who would like to develop their skills further. For beginners you will start with the introduction of the tools and techniques and materials used for making a wood carving by hand. This will be followed by a small carving project to become familiar with the basic skills. After...

Wood carving course in the beautiful Stanwick Lakes nature reserve! Have you ever wanted to learn the traditional craft of Wood Carving? This one day course is suitable for those just starting out and also for carvers who would like to develop their skills further. For beginners the day starts with the introduction of the tools and the techniques and materials used for making a wood carving by hand. This will be followed by a...