A voice for craft
The national charity for heritage craft skills
Supporting craft heritage
We are the national charity set up to celebrate, support and safeguard traditional craft skills, and to facilitate a national conversation about their importance to everyone now and in the future.
We are passionate about ensuring that everyone has access to craft skills that have developed over generations, and which we believe will be vital in helping us tackle the challenges of the future – and to be able to enjoy making as part of a fulfilled life.
Our Patron is His Majesty King Charles III.
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Heritage Crafts was set up just fifteen years ago. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, advocating at the highest levels for crafts, publishing the Red List of Endangered Crafts, and distributing 95 grants through the Endangered Crafts Fund. We have awarded 131 training bursaries, established the Heritage Crafts Awards and shone a spotlight on our world-renowned makers through 33 National Honours successes.
Many more people are now aware of traditional crafts and the objects produced by those who carry in their hands, heads, and also hearts the skills and techniques that have been passed down through the generations.
To continue this work we need your support. Please consider making a donation, however big or small, to help ensure that heritage craft skills in the UK are given the opportunity to thrive.
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Auction Item 3: Bespoke handsewn shoes by @carreducker
The item:
This incredible commission offers the chance to design the bespoke shoes or boots of your dreams while uniquely supporting three endangered crafts: handsewn shoemaking, last making and oak bark tanning. Your custom footwear – ranging from sneakers to low boots with a maximum 1.5” (4cm) heel – will be built upon bespoke lasts crafted by Springline in Northampton. They will be constructed using the finest oak bark tanned leather from Devon’s historic Bakers tannery. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a wearable work of art and champion the vital survival of multiple at-risk heritage skills simultaneously.
The maker:
Your shoes will be masterfully created by Carréducker, one of London’s leading independent bespoke shoemakers. James Ducker and Deborah Carré retrained as handsewn shoemakers over 30 years ago, driven by a profound passion for the craft. Based in the iconic Oxo Tower near London’s historic Cordwainer Ward, they are dedicated champions of this heritage skill. Beyond crafting beautiful bespoke footwear, they actively share their expertise by teaching complete beginners the 200-plus steps required to make handsewn shoes. Their exceptional dedication was rightfully recognised when they won the Heritage Crafts Made in Britain Award.
The risk:
Handsewn shoemaking is officially classified as endangered on our Heritage Crafts Red List. While historic districts once thrived with artisans, the craft now faces severe threats from mass-produced imports, prohibitive material costs and a critical shortage of professional-grade hand tools. Crucially, this lot also supports last making and oak bark leather tanning, both of which face their own distinct survival pressures in a mechanised world. If we lose these dedicated makers and traditional suppliers, we lose centuries of distinctively British sartorial heritage and the incomparable standard of authentic custom craftsmanship.
Bid before 7.30pm tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) at https://uk.givergy.com/heritagecrafts/. Proceeds to the makers and Heritage Crafts’ work to safeguard at-risk skills.
📷 @jonny.shoots
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at the Living Legacies exhibition at Leathersellers hall as part of @londoncraftweek , where you’ll be able to see some incredible work on auction and hear from some of our makers.
11.15: Jessica Light – Passementerie
11.45: James Ducker – Shoemaking
12.15: Devin Valentine – Luthiery
12.45 Valeria Leonova – Petrykivka
13.15 Jonathan Reid – Scissor making
15.30 Mary Lewis – Red List talk
Booking essential for entry.
#heritagecraft #londoncraftweek #craft
Auction Item 12: Handwoven silk scarf by @fishbone.sycamore
The item:
This exquisite neckerchief is handwoven from 100% deadstock silk, making it as sustainable as it is beautiful. Soft and vibrant, the simple triangular shape is designed for versatile wear, whether tied around the neck or used as a hair covering. Each piece is crafted solely on restored Victorian machinery at the historic Paradise Mill in Macclesfield. Because of this traditional process, the scarf may feature small, unique inconsistencies – marks of quality and longevity that distinguish it from mass-produced textiles. It is a stunning example of functional luxury, offering a tactile connection to Britain’s illustrious industrial textile past.
The maker:
Fishbone and Sycamore is the creative partnership of Ruth Farris and Bea Uprichard, who are dedicated to revitalising UK silk weaving. Based at Macclesfield’s historic Paradise Mill, they utilise heritage machinery to produce contemporary silk goods. In 2025 they were awarded a Heritage Crafts Endangered Crafts Fund grant to develop new products and explore sustainable routes to market. Their work is vital in proving that Victorian technology can still produce relevant, high-quality fashion today. By blending artistic vision with technical preservation, Ruth and Bea are ensuring that the sounds of the looms continue to echo in Macclesfield.
The risk:
Silk weaving is currently classified as endangered on the Heritage Crafts Red List. Macclesfield was once a global centre for finished silk, yet the specialised knowledge required to maintain and operate heritage jacquard looms is perilously close to being lost. The decline of large-scale textile manufacturing has left a massive gap in technical expertise and training opportunities for new weavers. If we lose the makers who understand these complex machines, we lose a significant chapter of our industrial heritage. Supporting this lot helps secure the future of UK silk weaving, ensuring these historic looms remain operational.
Bid before 7.30pm tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) at https://uk.givergy.com/heritagecrafts/. Proceeds to the makers and Heritage Crafts’ work to safeguard at-risk skills.
17 very special items up for auction in support of @heritagecrafts for @londoncraftweek, ranging from one of a kind items, to bespoke pieces to maker experiences.
What is extra special about this auction is that the proceeds will be split between the makers themselves, ensuring they get a fair price for their work, and Heritage Crafts’ ongoing work to safeguard endangered skills.
🔗Find the link in our bio or on the website.
You can come and view the items on display at Living Legacies, at Leathersellers Hall, as part of @londoncraftweek, on Wednesday 13 May 2026, 11am to 4pm. The exhibition is free, but booking is required.
Featuring:
• ‘Holy sheet’ sheet glass by @ewalkerglassart
• ‘Message in a bottle’ flamework glass by @redflowerglass
• Bespoke hand-sewn shoes by @carreducker
• ‘Surrender’ illuminated artwork by @sarahdavisartist
• ‘Peace Dove’ neon sculpture by @neonworkshops
• Workshop experience: encaustic tile making with @welbyandwright
• Workshop experience: hand lasting with @carreducker
• Embroidery scissors by @grace_horne_designs
• Pair of passementerie tiebacks by @jessica_light_
• Bespoke handsewn kilt by @nikki_kiltmaker
• ‘Red List – Heritage in Clay’ encaustic tile by @welbyandwright
• Handwoven silk scarf by @fishbone.sycamore
• ‘Matilda’ woven silk panel by @papilionaceouspuresilk
• Handmade pigment set by @londonpigment
• Bespoke clog commission by @simon_brock_clogs
• ‘Scissor Nomenclature’ print by @grace_horne_designs
• ‘It’s A Sin / It’s Not A Sin’ prints by @buddyollie
Thank you so much to all our contributing makers!
#londoncraftweek #heritagecrafts #endangeredcrafts
Take part in our silent auction to support endangered crafts, this @londoncraftweek
This is a wonderful curated collection of items and experiences from makers featured on the Red List of Endangered Crafts. The skills represented within these crafts are at risk of being lost, some critically endangered, or being pulled back from the brink of extinction.
The proceeds will be split between the makers themselves, ensuring they get a fair price for their work, and Heritage Crafts’ ongoing work to safeguard endangered skills.
Browse the items to learn more about the makers and their skills!
Featuring:
• ‘Holy sheet’ sheet glass by @ewalkerglassart
• ‘Message in a bottle’ flamework glass by @redflowerglass
• Bespoke hand-sewn shoes by @carreducker
• ‘Surrender’ illuminated artwork by @sarahdavisartist
• ‘Peace Dove’ neon sculpture by @neonworkshops
• Workshop experience: encaustic tile making with @welbyandwright
• Workshop experience: hand lasting with @carreducker
• Embroidery scissors by @grace_horne_designs
• Pair of passementerie tiebacks by @jessica_light_
• Bespoke handsewn kilt by @nikki_kiltmaker
• ‘Red List – Heritage in Clay’ encaustic tile by @welbyandwright
• Handwoven silk scarf by @fishbone.sycamore
• ‘Matilda’ woven silk panel by @papilionaceouspuresilk
• Handmade pigment set by @londonpigment
• Bespoke clog commission by @simon_brock_clogs
• ‘Scissor Nomenclature’ print by @grace_horne_designs
• ‘It’s A Sin / It’s Not A Sin’ prints by @buddyollie
Thank you so much to all our contributing makers!
Bid or donate online at https://uk.givergy.com/heritagecrafts or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Come and view the items on display at Living Legacies, part of @londoncraftweek, on Wednesday 13 May 2026, 11am to 4pm. Free booking required at https://londoncraftweek.com/events/living-legacies-endangered-crafts-in-the-uk/ or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Auction ends Wednesday 13 May 2026, 7.30pm. Heritage Crafts is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1159208.
#londoncraftweek #endangeredcrafts #heritagecrafts
It’s @londoncraftweek next week from the 11 to 17 May.
From discussions on craft and algorithms with @theforgespace, maritime crafts at the Cutty Sark @royalmuseumsgreenwich, to millinery at Heads Up: A Hat Making Symposium for Endangered Crafts with @britishhatguild, to heritage craft exhibition at Leathersellers’ Hall, and a talk at Crafted at @sothebys. There is something for everyone! Booking required for all events, book via the @londoncraftweek website.
You can also support a maker and help keep these skills alive by taking part in out silent auction, with a chance to win a one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece… the auction is now live!
What’s on:
Beyond the Algorithm: Why Real Space and Real Makers
Matter Now: FORGE 59 Leather Lane, London ECIN 7TJ
17 Tuesday 12 May 6pm-8pm
£25
Living Legacies – Exhibition at Leathersellers’ Hall
📅 13 May 2026 🕚 11:00–16:00
Heads Up: A Hat Making Symposium for Endangered Crafts
📅 16 -17 May 2026
Crafted – Sotheby’s
📅 16 May 2026
Heritage Crafts Talk – Cutty Sark (‘Tween Deck)
📅 16 May 2026 | 🕑 14:00–16:00
Come along, get inspired, and celebrate the value of heritage crafts.
#heritagecrafts #londoncraftweek #craft
Living Legacies – 13 May 2026, 11am to 4.30pm
Leathersellers’ Hall, 7 St Helen’s Place, London EC3A 6AB
Heritage Crafts, @theleathersellers and @saddlerscompany.saddlershall are delighted to be collaborating on Living Legacies, a unique celebration of some of the UK’s most endangered craft traditions. This day-long showcase brings together master makers, heritage experts and the public to explore rare skills – from passementerie and pigment making to shoemaking and falconry furniture making.
This is a pop-in exhibition, open between 11am and 4pm, with the opportunity to hear from practising makers, and for visitors to ask questions and experience these crafts up close. At 3.30pm, Mary Lewis, Head of Craft Sustainability at Heritage Crafts, will offer insights into the state of endangered crafts today.
Discover the living heritage of the UK’s craft traditions – and the people keeping them alive.
Book for free at https://londoncraftweek.com/events/living-legacies-endangered-crafts-in-the-uk or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
📷 @jonny.shoots
Endangered Crafts Auction raising funds for Heritage Crafts’ work to safeguard at-risk craft skills
Heritage Crafts has curated this wonderful collection of items and experiences from makers featured on the Red List of Endangered Crafts using at-risk skills. The proceeds will be split between the makers themselves, ensuring they get a fair price for their work, and Heritage Crafts’ ongoing work to safeguard endangered skills.
Featuring:
• ‘Holy sheet’ sheet glass by @ewalkerglassart
• ‘Message in a bottle’ flamework glass by @redflowerglass
• Bespoke hand-sewn shoes by @carreducker
• ‘Surrender’ illuminated artwork by @sarahdavisartist
• ‘Peace Dove’ neon sculpture by @neonworkshops
• Workshop experience: encaustic tile making with @welbyandwright
• Workshop experience: hand lasting with @carreducker
• Embroidery scissors by @grace_horne_designs
• Pair of passementerie tiebacks by @jessica_light_
• Bespoke handsewn kilt by @nikki_kiltmaker
• ‘Red List – Heritage in Clay’ encaustic tile by @welbyandwright
• Handwoven silk scarf by @fishbone.sycamore
• ‘Matilda’ woven silk panel by @papilionaceouspuresilk
• Handmade pigment set by @londonpigment
• Bespoke clog commission by @simon_brock_clogs
• ‘Scissor Nomenclature’ print by @grace_horne_designs
• ‘It’s A Sin / It’s Not A Sin’ prints by @buddyollie
Thank you so much to all our contributing makers!
Bid or donate online at https://uk.givergy.com/heritagecrafts or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Come and view the items on display at Living Legacies, part of @londoncraftweek, on Wednesday 13 May 2026, 11am to 4pm. Free booking required at https://londoncraftweek.com/events/living-legacies-endangered-crafts-in-the-uk/ or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
Auction ends Wednesday 13 May 2026, 7.30pm. Heritage Crafts is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1159208.
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