The Red List
of Endangered Crafts
From blacksmithing to basketry, from weaving to woodturning, we have an incredible range of heritage craft skills in the UK and some of the best craftspeople in the world. But many of these skills are in the hands of individuals who have been unable to make provision to pass them on.
The Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts, first published in 2017, was the first report of its kind to rank traditional crafts by the likelihood they would survive to the next generation, based on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding principles, led by Heritage Crafts, the only UK UNESCO-accredited NGO working primarily in the domain of traditional craftsmanship.
Donate to save an endangered craft (£5 for the 5th edition)
The list attracted extensive media coverage both in the UK and abroad, shining a light on heritage craft practices under threat from a number of identifiable issues. It is our hope that 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.
Heritage Crafts is committed to updating the list on a regular basis, and so, with support from the Pilgrim Trust, over 900 organisations and individuals were contacted directly by email and telephone and invited to contribute to the research between September 2024 and May 2025. Participants were asked to provide background information about each craft, such as its history, techniques and local forms, as well as current information relating to the number of skilled craftspeople and trainees, and the ongoing issues affecting the viability of the craft, including the effects of the current energy crisis.
Each craft was then classified into one of four categories of endangerment using a combination of both objective criteria (such as numbers of crafts people and trainees) and subjective criteria (issues affecting the future viability of the craft including training opportunities and market trends). Issues affecting the viability of heritage crafts vary on a craft-by-craft basis, though many can be grouped, and possible solutions devised that will help many crafts practices become more viable.
For the purposes of this research, a heritage craft is defined as ‘a practice which employs manual dexterity and skill and an understanding of traditional materials, design and techniques, and which has been practised for two or more successive generations’. The research focuses on craft practices which are taking place in the UK at the present time, including those crafts which have originated elsewhere, and on those aspects of each craft with a high reliance on hand-work and which involve high levels of hand skill.
If you have any queries about the research, are aware of a heritage craft that is not listed, or have further information to add about any craft, please contact [email protected].
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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Talking about handmade custom shoes and being inspired by the local landscape, @dartmoorshoemakers share their practice with us.
Kicking off @craftfestival with the @theenglandarchive.
We have a series of talks today – come along and join us in the Marquee if Endangered crafts.
Over 20 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
Libbie Watson @lwatson_design, from Kent, began her leathercraft journey in 2017 as a creative outlet during a period of long-term illness. Her bursary will fund a series of structured training modules, including a five-day pattern-cutting course at @handsoftym and ten days of one-to-one bag-making tuition at @the_london_leather_workshop.
Libbie’s bursary is supported by @theleathersellers.
Libbie said: “I’m delighted to have been awarded a Heritage Crafts bursary funded by The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers. Securing this funding is a meaningful step in my journey as a largely self‑taught leatherworker. It allows me to invest in specialist training I wouldn’t ordinarily have access to, while connecting me to a wider craft community full of support, encouragement, connections and new opportunities.
“This recognition means a great deal and will help me continue developing my practice with the confidence and knowledge to build a sustainable heritage craft business while keeping traditional skills alive. I can’t wait to get started and I’m excited to see where this opportunity takes me.”
📷 @mistereb
Over 20 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
Theo de Búrca @deburcastonework, from County Down, is a self-employed stonemason and contractor for the National Trust and the Mourne Heritage Trust who transitioned from upland conservation into full-time stonework in 2022. His bursary will fund the first two residential modules of a Professional Development Diploma in Building Conservation at @westdeancollege in Sussex.
Theo’s bursary is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the All Ireland Heritage Skills Programme.
Theo said: “This funding will start me on the journey to complete the Professional Development Diploma in Historic Building Conservation and Repair. As a self-taught conservation stonemason, this will help me network and and gain skills I would not have the chance to learn on my own job sites.”
Over 20 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
Katy Warriner @warriner.leather, from Devon, is a mid-career leatherworker who has spent a decade working as a leather prop maker for the film and television industry. Her bursary will fund intensive one-to-one training with specialist makers John Macdonald and Francis Roche @windsor_and_henley_bridles, allowing her to pivot to the endangered disciplines of traditional collar making, wooden tree construction and fine harness work.
Katy’s bursary is supported by the @saddlerscompany.saddlershall.
Katy said: “Heritage crafts are not just about keeping traditions alive; they are about mastering skills that keep our hands working, our minds alive and our communities connected. None of us work alone. Harness makers rely on the tanners, the blacksmiths, the loriners, the coppicers, the carriage drivers, the tool makers – we are all interwoven, intertwined and interdependent within a living chain of knowledge, materials, wisdom and tradition. This support allows me to become part of that living chain of craft and contribute to the future of British leatherwork and harness making.”
Mark Romain MBE, from the Saddlery Training Centre, said: “Katy Warriner has attended courses regularly at my centre since around 2020 achieving several City&Guilds qualifications in bridle, saddle and harness making. Since completing her training with me, Katy has developed a passion for harness making. She is extremely driven and has achieved a high level of skill and knowledge and is in a good position to work and learn from two of the best harness makers in the UK. I know that Katy will make the very best of this unique opportunity.”
📷 @paulreadphoto
A unique experience to witness heritage craft skills, live and up close with makers working hard to keep the craft alive.
In the Marquee of Endangered Crafts at @craftfestival you’ll get to meet the wonderful people who hold this living heritage, alongside a series of talks and demonstrations.
Witness live demonstrations from:
✨Ed Griffiths and Sarah Spicer (@dartmoorshoemakers – shoe making
✨@zoegilbertson and @sophie_scanlon of LIFLAD, flax processing
✨Simon Nobs of @sthcoaststudio – woodgraining and marbling
✨ @nick_hand from the Department of Small works – letterpress
✨James Ashwell from @mottes_pots – clay pipe making
@stephs.midnight.flit – wagon painting
All welcome, come along, say hello and support a heritage craft today.
#craftfestival #heritagecraft #endangeredcrafts
Over 20 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
Olive Shaw @oliveshoemaker3, from Northampton, works as a trainee bespoke shoemaker and assistant at @gazianogirling and previously served as a course leader for footwear manufacturing apprenticeships. Her bursary will fund eight intensive sessions of one-to-one training in traditional wooden last making with @bespokeshoes_the_elek, alongside essential materials, tools and travel.
Olive’s bursary is supported by the @worshipfulcordwainers.
Olive said: “Receiving this funding from Heritage Crafts and the Cordwainers’ Company is an important step for me as I work towards becoming a bespoke shoemaker. As the first female shoemaker at Gaziano & Girling, I’m committed to developing my skills and helping to broaden representation within the craft. Training with a master shoemaker in bespoke last making will help me develop a fundamental skill at the heart of true bespoke shoemaking.”
Andrew Peal, @masterofthecordwainers, said: “The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers is delighted that Olive and Ella are to receive the 2026 shoemaking bursaries. It is incredibly important to the Company that we promote and support the craft of shoemaking so that it continues not only as a heritage craft but also as an important business sector in the UK. We are pleased that we can assist Olive and Ella in the development of their skills which will benefit their shoemaking careers and the UK’s footwear industry.”
Over 20 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.
@katefossey, from Belfast, is a signwriter and full-time student on the All-Ireland Heritage Skills Programme with a background in politics, community work and art facilitation. Her bursary will fund intensive one-to-one training with @moore_letters in Belfast, focusing on water and surface gilding and hand-lettering styles.
Kate’s bursary is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the All Ireland Heritage Skills Programme.
Kate said: “Securing this support from Heritage Crafts means a lot to me. Being given the opportunity to undergo specialised heritage craft training, and take time and space just to learn is wonderful.”
