Posts by: Alison
WP Matthew
Long before Nick Knowles, William Percival Matthew was the media darling of DIY. WP Matthew was a TV, Radio and Newspaper Handyman, whose methods and unique charm were shared with the nation during the 1930s when over a million listeners crowded around wireless sets to hear’ Your House in... Learn moreMEET THE MAKER – JOHN PAGE
A country craftsman… in the city Walking into the studio, I am hit by a memory of strolling in the woods. The smell of a room when filled with wet wicker or damp rush is like a forest after rain. John Page arrives for the day’s teaching by bike,... Learn moreMEET THE MAKER – BEN RAWLINSON
Ben Rawlinson is a maker of bespoke fine furniture. His workshop is within The Goodlife Centre and it’s always a pleasure to see him working on an upcoming project. He chooses the timber he will use based upon his knowledge and experience working with each wood.Everything Ben makes, he... Learn moreAbout tinkers and tinkering about
My grandmother would have been amused that an unremarkable event had such a profound effect on me. I was a child, spending long holidays, as always, with my Manx relatives. We were in the scullery of her stone cottage in the Isle of Man. It was a tiny space-... Learn moreFor the Love of London
Moira was the first tutor to arrive last Sunday. It was the morning after the attacks on London Bridge and she had been delayed by all the road and station closures. We were preparing for three workshops that were due to start at ten. ‘I had to get up... Learn more‘Can you help fix the Tappys?’
We get asked lots of questions- mostly starting, ’This is a bit of an unusual request…’. When we got a call a few weeks ago, I was more intrigued by Bridget Virden’s naming of the object she needed repairing. Bridget runs lunchtime drop-in workshops in the market and had... Learn moreOur Story. The Director’s Cut.
After a childhood of endless drawing, playing with plasticine and cluttering the surface of every table with wood scraps, glue, paper and fabric, it was a natural choice to set my heart on a lifestyle where the scribbling and making would never stop. The 3D design department workshop at... Learn moreHave a go – The new face of fixing
The fueling of our society as consumers (as in ’consumed by fire’) was always linked to Built In or Planned Obsolescence which was linked to the ‘consume more’ economic cycle. It originally had a very worthy intention as expressed in a 1932 pamphlet by Russian–American real estate broker Bernard... Learn moreWroughting and Wrighting. In praise of hand skills.
I was glad that Sir Christopher Frayling talked about the ‘3 Rs’ at the Heritage Craft Association conference at the V and A last weekend as he mentioned the origins of the ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’ trio used to identify a balanced education. These three now just describe Literacy... Learn moreA class full of three legged stools
Wood rules. Alice Rees is an impressive woman. My childhood fears of having a meeting with a deputy headmistress were dispelled the minute Alice walked into The Goodlife Centre. Alice wanted us to teach a class of 10 year olds woodwork. She has great expectations of her year 6... Learn more
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