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For craftspeople of the future
The skills that are essential to the longevity of the historic buildings of the whole nation are fragile and scarce.
They have been passed down in an unbroken chain of apprenticeships and mentoring since the very earliest times. The expertise of medieval master stonemasons, glaziers, cabinet makers, plasterers, the people who first built our castles and cottages, reside still in the hands and heads of today’s practitioners. However, there is a real risk this vital chain is at breaking point.
That is why we have decided to launch the Landmark Crafts Skills Fund. This new initiative is designed to ensure that as often as possible, Landmark’s work involves not just the repair or rescue of an individual building, but the training and development of junior craftspeople.
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Richard Fraser of Limerich demonstrates stonemasonry to a junior colleague on site at Saddell Castle
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Workshop Manager & Cabinet-Maker Mark Smitten and Joinery Apprentice Rose Andrews discuss kitchen plans with a project team at the Landmark workshop in the Cotswolds
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Learning the art of stained glass repair at Calverley Old Hall
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A young apprentice demonstrates the repair of Victorian tiles at Alton Station
Landmark buildings offer unique opportunities to teach and learn traditional skills. We know from experience what the impact can be, and with the help of supporters, what the results can be.
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Limeworking students learnt traditional techniques and carried out real repairs on a live site during our renovations of Saddell Castle
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Joinery Apprentice Rose Andrews is coming to the end of her three year Landmark Apprenticeship
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“Conserving the paintings at Calverley Old Hall was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Dr Lizzie Woolley ACR, Opus Conservation.
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“It was an honour to be part of the process.” Bricklayer and stonemason Ellie Jae Dobson, who has gone on to gain a place on the prestigious William Morris Craft Fellowship
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Master Plasterer Philip Gaches at work at Cobham Dairy where his apprentices gained valuable experience on site
Our furnishings team
The breadth of the work that is undertaken at Landmark’s workshop in the Cotswolds is remarkable. Many Landmark buildings feature something carefully designed and built by Workshop Manager and Cabinet Maker Mark Smitten, Bench Joiner Matt Cannell and Joinery Apprentice Rose Andrews.
Traditional craft skills at Calverley Old Hall
The use of traditional craft skills was fundamental in our project to revive Calverley Old Hall in West Yorkshire. We were lucky to receive support from National Heritage Lottery Fund which allowed us to host a series of public workshops focused on different traditional craft skills and produce a series of short training videos too.
