Details
We work by hand in natural materials. We aim to use as much of the material as possible - for instance the automata were born out of a desire to use every scrap of leather, the pivots are made using the same techniques that were used to make medieval and pre-industrial copper-alloy pins. We draw inspiration from visits to museums, churches and historic buildings.
We trade as Alison and Hugh's Handmade Things. We needed a name in a hurry and this one stuck - we make Things by Hand from natural material for museums, living historians, reenactors and historic sites.
Based in the Marches near Leominster, we create pieces firmly rooted in history: carved chests inspired by Romanesque carving of the Herefordshire school, quirky automata drawn from C16th woodcuts or medieval illustration, or functional furniture based on medieval originals.
Our journey as makers began over a decade ago when the financial crisis meant that conventional work became thin on the ground - we had always made things, but this gave us the impetus to start selling our creations. Eleven years on and we are still making Things and selling them to people.
We have exhibited at h-Art for the last three years, as well as at The Original Re-enactors Market and the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival.
Find us at The Original Reenactors Market in Ryton on Dunsmore near Coventry in November and March, at Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, at h-Art or online.
