|
|
 Griff
Rhys Jones said: “Everything we enjoy in our countryside has
been created by craftsmen, from laid hedges to thatched roofs
to drystone walls, and this study brings together history,
technique and anecdote in one excellent volume. It will be a
boon to anyone with an interest in the countryside and
craftsmanship.”Margaret Clark, director of the Countryside
Agency said: “This study fills an important gap in our
knowledge about the scale and nature of the crafts which are
so important to the English countryside. Social and economic
change has transformed rural communities and economies and,
with them, the role of traditional crafts. Many ancient crafts
have been lost or barely survive. However, the survey shows
that the picture is by no means all gloom. The study
highlights a growing interest in the crafts, often by those
choosing new lifestyles and moving to the countryside to set
up a crafts’ business.
“Since the revival of the 1980s, a number of crafts have
successfully adapted and responded to new markets. With
support and advice, they have the potential to contribute more
to rural economies and enhancing the countryside. Crafts
in the English Countryside provides the all-important
detail on which to base future policies and help.”
Professor Ted Collins, author of the report said: “The
crafts sector appears to be in a better state of health than
we thought at the start of the study. Whilst this is
encouraging, there are problems that need tackling. Some of
the smaller crafts could disappear within a generation – they
need identifying and recording for posterity.
“Another problem is the lack of appropriate training for
the crafts sector. New initiatives, and new ways of delivering
training, are urgently needed if rural crafts are to realise
their full potential, or indeed to survive. This calls for
investment, commitment and most of all, imagination.”
Crafts surveyed include: saddlery, farriery, blacksmithing,
mill-wrighting, gardening, basketry, and the woodland crafts,
such as bodging, pole-lathe turnery, besom and hurdle making.
A major section examines the skilled crafts needed for
restoring traditional homes and country features, such as
pargetting, thatching, earth-walling, timber framing and stone
masonry.
Crafts in the English Countryside: Towards a Future
is edited by Professor Ted Collins, a leading rural and
agricultural historian and former Director of the Rural
History Centre at the University of Reading. The project has
been jointly funded by The Countryside Agency, The Duke of
Cornwall’s Benevolent Fund, The Ernest Cook Trust, The Headley
Trust, HRH The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation and the
University of Reading.
The website http://www.craftsintheenglishcountryside.org.uk/contains
a summary of the book and statistical appendices relating to
the survey.
-ends-
Notes to editors
For photographs, summaries of the report, or to
arrange interviews with Margaret Clark or
Professor Ted Collins contact the Countryside Agency press
office on 0207 340 2907/9.
The launch will take place at the Building Crafts College,
Kennard Road, Stratford, London, E15 1AH on Wednesday 17
November. The event starts at 12 noon but there will craft
demonstrations from 11am. If you would like to attend please
contact the press office.
Printed copies of Crafts in the English Countryside:
Towards a Future are available from Tuesday 30th November
2004. ISBN 0-86170-689-7 (Countryside Agency Reference CA
200), price £20. Order in advance from Countryside
Agency Publications, PO Box 125, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23
7EP. Tel: 0870 120 6466.
The current Countryside Agency is the statutory body
working to make the quality of life better for people in the
countryside and the quality of the countryside better for
everyone. It is a non-departmental public body sponsored by
the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
|
