This summer, over 150 outstanding designer-makers will return to the beautiful setting of Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire for the fourth edition of Handmade Oxford from 21-23 June.
Renowned for its shows and its online gallery, Handmade in Britain has been at the forefront of the craft industry for nearly two decades, championing the best in making talent and bringing it to the most discerning of customers. Piyush Suri, co-founder of Handmade Oxford comments: “We have an incredibly diverse line-up of handpicked designer-makers for the fourth annual Handmade Oxford, celebrating the very finest in craft and design.”
Here’s a selection of the ones to watch:
Steven Broughton
Steven Broughton, lately a competitor on Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down, is a self-taught potter with a passion for beautifully made functional wares. Trained as a fine artist, he was moved by the book The Beauty of Everyday Things by Japanese art critic Yanagi Sōetsu, to chart another course. The result is sensitive work with a calming presence.
The Marchmont Workshop
Founded by Richard Platt and Sam Cooper, The Marchmont Workshop is a contemporary business faithfully honouring the past. Richard and Sam trained as apprentices under Laurence Neal, who in 2018 was the last full-time rush seated chair-maker in the UK.
From these small beginnings has grown a thriving business now based in the grounds of Marchmont House in Berwickshire.
Cotswold Flora
Based in Gloucestershire, Cotswold Flora is a hymn to beauty and sustainability. Using home-grown sustainable flowers, the artist behind all its creations, Poppy, creates sculptures that draw on her studies in animal science, animal rescue and veterinary research.
Jane Frost
To encounter Jane Frost’s exquisite jewellery is to dive into miniature worlds, both natural and man-made. A simple ring becomes a medieval stone bridge spanned by rickety houses, or a wave crashing on a beach. Here is jewellery that weaves stories for the wearer.
Beaded Blooms
French beaded flowers (Immortelle) use a centuries-old technique first created in Italy and then adopted by the French. Holly Parr studies real flowers and then recreates them in the tiniest of glass beads. From single blooms to full arrangements, Beaded Blooms celebrates the world of flowers.
Julie Livesey, Pip Cottage
Credit Laura Bennetto
With a passion for willow weaving including Traditional English Heritage Basket making, Willow Sculpture and Living Willow Structures, Julie Livesey creates wonderful animal sculptures in her studio at Haworth Art Gallery in Lancashire. She is currently researching Heritage Basket making in Lancashire and trialling the varieties that were traditionally grown there.
The Make Shed
Established by Claire Ambrose-Gordon, an artist/maker based in Kent, The Make Shed use sustainable wools, materials made from waste including plastic bottles and recycled fabrics and aim to create high fashion at low environmental impact. They sell an eclectic mix of sustainable clothing and source products in an ethical way.
Anthony Gray and John Gray
With over 60 years of combined experience, Anthony and John Gray represent two generations of making excellence. Based in Essex, their studio creates bespoke work, both free-standing and fitted, for independent clients and architects.
Tickets are on sale now from handmadeinbritain.co.uk with prices starting at £24 for a VIP ticket or £18 for standard entry.
Entry also includes entrance to Waterperry Gardens*. (*Event tickets can be purchased without garden entry.)
