Craft status
The Heritage Crafts Red List
Drawing on the conservation status system used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist, Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation.
Extinct in the UK
Crafts classified as ‘extirpated’ or ‘locally extinct’ are those which are no longer practised in the UK. For the purposes of this research, this category only includes crafts which have become extinct in the past generation.
Critically Endangered
Crafts classified as ‘critically endangered’ are those at serious risk of no longer being practised in the UK. They may include crafts with a shrinking base of craftspeople, crafts with limited training opportunities, crafts with low financial viability, or crafts where there is no mechanism to pass on the skills and knowledge.
Endangered
Crafts classified as ‘endangered’ are those which currently have sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation, but for which there are serious concerns about their ongoing viability. This may include crafts with a shrinking market share, an ageing demographic or crafts with a declining number of practitioners.
Currently Viable Crafts
Crafts classified as ‘currently viable’ are those which are in a healthy state and have sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. They may include crafts with a large market share, widely popular crafts, or crafts with a strong local presence. A classification of ‘currently viable’ does not mean that the craft is risk-free or without issues affecting its future sustainability/viability.
Heritage Crafts Inventory
The 2025 edition of the Red List of Endangered Crafts marks a significant evolution in how we understand and safeguard traditional crafts.
This year, we introduce the Heritage Craft Inventory – a new, inclusive framework that ensures all heritage crafts, regardless of their current status, have a place where they are recognised and valued under one umbrella. This expanded approach allows us to shine a light not only on endangered and critically endangered crafts, but also on those that are resurgent, culturally distinctive, or rooted in specific communities and regions. It reflects the dynamic landscape of craft today – one that is constantly evolving and shaped by both challenges and opportunities.
Culturally distinctive crafts
Crafts designated as ‘culturally distinctive’ might have a broad uptake across the UK, but hold a particular significance for a defined community of practice, whether that is geographic, cultural, ethnic or religious. Those that are also on the Red List are known as ‘crafts in need of cultural safeguarding’.
- Canal art and boat painting (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Cornish hedging (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Fair Isle Knitting
- Fair Isle straw back chair making (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Fairground art (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Gansey knitting
- Harris tweed weaving
- Islamic calligraphy
- Northern Isles basket making (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Orkney chair making (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Petrakivka (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Pysanky (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Sgian dubh and dirk making (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Shetland lace knitting
- Shinty caman making
- Sofrut calligraphy
- Sporran making (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Thatching (Irish vernacular) (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Thatching (Scottish vernacular) (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Thatching (Welsh vernacular) (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Vardo and living wagon crafts (craft for cultural safeguarding)
- Welsh double cloth weaving (craft for cultural safeguarding)
Resurgent crafts
Crafts designated as ‘resurgent’ are currently experiencing a positive trajectory as a result of an upswing in new entrants. Just because a craft is considered resurgent does not mean that it cannot also be endangered, but rather that its decline has started to reverse and that its situation is likely to continue improving.
Latest Red List stories
Craft skills remain under threat with 20 new additions to the Red List of Endangered Crafts
Nine more grants to help save endangered crafts
Craft skills under threat with 17 additions to the Red List of Endangered Crafts
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This week’s #mondaymaker is Ruth Osborne @ruthosborne_art.
Ruth is a Northern Irish textile artist and print maker based in rural County Down. Her work is linked to place, seasonal transitions and heritage.
She uses a range of printmaking processes – particularly the historic process of nature printing, and the heritage crafts of natural dyeing and ink making – to create original artworks on Irish linen.
View Ruth’s full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/ruthosborne/
#craft #printing #naturaldyes #heritagecrafts
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Bespoke Staircase Timberwork Trainee
Location: Lewes, East Sussex
Founded in 1966, Spiral specialises in the design, manufacture and install of bespoke feature staircases, serving both residential and commercial clients all over the world.
Spiral is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Bespoke Staircase Timberwork Worker/Trainee to join its specialised team. This paid position offers an excellent opportunity to develop skills in timber craftsmanship, manufactured and installing within a high-end bespoke staircase environment.
The successful candidate will gain hands-on experience in timberwork processes while supporting various organisational tasks. A proactive attitude, strong communication skills, and a willingness to learn are essential for this role.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
Northern Ireland is home to an incredible wealth of traditional skills. We are thrilled to announce that nominations are now OPEN for the Northern Ireland Maker of the Year Award 2026 supported by @mournetextiles.
We want to recognise a heritage craftsperson in Northern Ireland who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months. Whether you’ve pushed your craft to new heights or worked tirelessly to promote its survival, we want to champion the simple, humble and essential skills that define our communities.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, one winner from the four UK nations will have their prize topped up to £2,000, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/northern-ireland-maker-of-the-year-award/
📷 2024 finalist Aaron Leach @swiftsforge
#heritagecrafts #craftskills #northernirelandmaker #madeinnorthernireland #traditionalskills
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Heritage Craft Brickwork Apprentice
Location: Hampton Court Palace
Deadline: 7 May 2026
Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity responsible for the management of six royal palaces and their associated content and landscapes. In collaboration with Simpson Brickwork Conservation and The Building Craft College, Historic Royal Palaces is recruiting for a Heritage Craft Brickwork Apprentice to train to become a skilled craftsperson specialising in the conservation, repair, and restoration of historic brick structures.
Working alongside experienced heritage bricklayers and conservation professionals, the apprentice will develop traditional skills, technical knowledge, and an understanding of historic materials and methods, while completing a Level 3 apprenticeship qualification. This role is ideal for someone passionate about traditional construction, historic buildings, and high-quality craftsmanship who will work and train under the expert mentoring of Simpson Brickwork Conservation.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
Over three posts we are profiling three additional recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
Rosy Cousins, from Manchester, is a self-employed environmental scientist retraining in the critically endangered craft of pietra dura, a decorative technique that involves inlaying precisely cut stones into a surface to create intricate designs. She will train with @greenawaymosaics, as well as undertaking short courses in allied crafts.
Rosy’s bursary is supported by @heritagefunduk and made possible by players of the National Lottery.
Rosy said: “I simply wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of a bursary from Heritage Crafts and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It comes at a crucial time in my career, as I try to develop quite an unusual set of historic stoneworking skills, with very few opportunities for training. The bursary makes it possible for me to access the technical support and guidance I need, allowing me to continue on my journey. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
This week’s #mondaymaker is Jenny Beattie @jenny_beattie_millinery – milliner.
Jenny uses traditional millinery techniques to make innovative, bespoke headpieces for individuals, fashion and theatre. She uses tools and techniques ‘borrowed’ from different craft disciplines to produce uniqueness, and prides herself on having a high level of technique and skill.
With fine art and millinery training, she has a materials-led practice with a unique aesthetic. She has a reputation as someone with an interest in transforming rubbish or leftovers into ‘Trash Hats’, in which eccentric fabrics such as cat food pouches or used teabags are transformed into stunning headpieces.
She says that craft has always been enormously important to her, as well as the cross pollination from other disciplines.
View Jenny’s full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/jennybeattie/
#craft #millinery #heritagecrafts #mondaymaker
This week’s #craftfocus is cut crystal glass making.
British cut crystal glass, known for its brilliance and intricate designs, has become a hallmark of craftsmanship. In 1674, George Ravenscroft, a glassmaker based in London, patented a new method for producing glass with lead oxide, making it easier to work with, heavier and more brilliant, giving it a high level of clarity and sparkle due to its increased refraction of light. This lead crystal became highly suitable for cutting, as it could be deeply engraved and polished, giving rise to intricate designs and brilliant finishes.
During the 19th century, the British crystal industry reached its height. Crystal glass was highly sought-after, and many of the cutting patterns that we associate with traditional crystal glassware today were developed. From the mid-20th century onwards, British glassmakers shifted focus from mass production to preserving the artisanal quality and heritage of glass cutting.
The glass is cut using various diamond or carborundum grinding wheels. The wheels cut grooves into the glass with straight, sharp angles to increase the sparkle of the glass by adding more light-reflecting surfaces. Surfaces can then be cut a second time, a process known as smoothing, to create a finer finish. Few people do the second cut anymore as it adds considerable time to production.
Cut crystal glass making is classified as critically endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Recruitment has become very challenging due to a lack of training provision. High setup costs and lack of specialist equipment hinder training, and insufficient job security prevents guaranteed employment after training.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/cut-crystal-glass-making/
Images: @cumbriacrystal
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #cutcrystalglassmaking #crystalglass
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Furniture Making Apprenticeships
Location: Hampshire
Deadline: 20 May 2026 (they advise anyone who is considering applying to make contact well before the closing date)
An Edward Barnsley Workshop furniture making apprenticeship provides a thorough practical training in a commercial environment. Almost all of their former apprentices continue to work successfully as furniture makers. Most work as employees, while some have gone on to set up their own furniture-making businesses. In recent years two of their apprentices have represented the UK in cabinet-making at the WorldSkills finals.
The majority of the apprentices’ time is spent at the bench. The rest is spent in the machine shop and helping with jobs around the workshop. Apprentices are expected to do some essential workshop tasks including sweeping up and machine maintenance. This thorough and comprehensive woodworking apprenticeship teaches the skills needed to succeed as a professional furniture-maker.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
