Weaving is one of the world’s oldest crafting traditions and can be traced back in the creative histories of most countries. Weaving natural materials today demonstrates a re-awakening of tradition and identity, as well as a renewed desire for a connection to the land and historic creative practices. The unique and personal nature of a hand-woven product is international and, in the present day, highlights a diverse intercultural exchange. A
Photographs by Richard Plummer ARPS These images offer a compelling visual glimpse into Hart Silversmiths’ workshop in Chipping Campden—an evocative setting that’s perfect for documentary-style storytelling through photography. Nestled on the first floor of the Old Silk Mill in Chipping Campden, Hart Silversmiths preserves the spirit and techniques of the Arts and Crafts movement established by C. R. Ashbee in 1902. The Arts and Crafts philosophy emphasised the importance of working in
Exhibition sponsored by Northcot Brick Originally named The Northwick Brick and Tile Works, it was set up 100 years ago to provide employment and housing locally after the First World War. This thinking echoed Arts & Crafts ideas from C. R. Ashbee setting up the Guild of Handicraft in 1888 to the establishment of the Rural Industries Bureau in 1925. The founder Edward George Spencer-Churchill, cousin of Sir Winston Churchill,
Opening on Sat 17 May 2025, Court Barn will stage an exhibition showcasing the Pearson Silver Collection.Comprising over 900 pieces by approximately 300 silversmiths, this is the largest privately owned collection dedicated to post-war and contemporary British silver design. This exhibition will feature works spanning from the 1960s to a newly commissioned piece from 2024, showcasing creations by renowned silversmiths such as Gerald Benney, David Mellor, Stuart Devlin, and Miriam
Events supported by Chipping Campden Community Trust Join us to mark World Book Day for our annual celebration of authors, books and the joy of reading. We are also offering discount on the recently published book Women Pioneers of the Arts and Crafts movement and A is for Ashbee. We will be hosting book related events and activities for all of the family throughout the month, including… Saturday 22 February
What do you do that brings you joy? The process of making was hugely important for Arts and Crafts figures like C. R. Ashbee, both for producing quality pieces and for the wellbeing of the makers and craftspeople. However, making for happiness is not just for professional craftspeople. Our autumn exhibition will celebrate the craft, hobbies, creativity and activities which bring all of us joy every day – featuring the projects and stories of
This thought-provoking exhibition fascinatingly explores how today’s leading designers and craft-makers are embracing circular economy ideas by creatively rethinking how things can be produced to make them eco-friendlier and more sustainable. Whether it is creating better industrially made products that have greater energy efficiency, longer-lasting durability or better recyclability, or mindfully fabricating one-off craft pieces from recycled waste materials into objects of rare beauty. The central aim of this visually
Sue Rangeley ~ Embroidered Originals studio creations 1974 – 2024 Sue Rangeley‘s latest exhibition takes a backwards glance, showing highlights from a fascinating life as a textile artist. Sue’s career launched in 1974/5 with a modest collection of embroidered evening bags, cushion and waistcoats which attracted the interest of Vogue magazine writer Judy Brittain. From a Cotswold studio, set in a rambling Victorian house where other artists and craftspeople worked,
Join us to mark World Book Day – a celebration of authors, books and the joy of reading – when we will be hosting book related events and activities. Children’s Workshops Saturday 10 February 11.30 Join us as we get creative with 3D pens. Draw your designs in plastic to make 3D structures. Bring along plenty of ideas, the possibilities are endless. Wednesday 14 February at 11am Join us as
Crafts in Gloucestershire have a long history based on traditional handwork and the inspiration of designer-makers from the Arts and Crafts movement: Gimson and the Barnsleys who settled in Sapperton in 1894, the radical Whiteway Colony founded in 1898, and C. R. Ashbee whose Guild of Handcraft moved from London’s East End to Chipping Campden in 1902. Craft guilds have existed since medieval times as a way of regulating quality
Join us for lots of book related activities this February and March. Celebrate World Book Day throughout Half Term 18-26 February. Come along and be inspired – activities for all the family! Wednesday 22 February: Create Your Own Book! Create your own book with illustrations. Drop in anytime between 10.30am and 3pm at the museum.£2 per child. No need to book. Other activities to be posted shortly including booky nook
Supported by Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Our summer exhibition will showcase the work of Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust artist-makers. The museum holds an important collection of work by C R Ashbee and the Guild of Handicraft and celebrates fine craftsmanship and design in Chipping Campden and the north Cotswoldsfrom the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. CEO of QEST, Deborah Pocock LVO, says “QEST is delighted to
An exhibition of work by two of the UK’s leading designer-makers. We are thrilled that Caroline Groves and Louise Pocock, who both work locally and have a national and international reputation, have agreed to give us an insight into their work and ideas. Shoes and hats are vitally important accessories – an extension of personality, affecting how you feel and how you are perceived. Fashion and fantasy are important elements
Anna Thornhill will talk about her father’s work and show her film Spirit in Mass – Journey into Sculpture. Born in London, Thornhill studied at Oxford before enlisting in the Gloucestershire Regiment in the Second World War. After the war he decided he wanted to work creatively with his hands and enrolled at Camberwell Art School, in south-east London, where he began his lifelong exploration of clay. Thornhill worked from
Join two of our volunteers for an informal talk about how they delved into the museum archive and uncovered many stories, objects and photographs for our 120 years in Campden celebrations. Saturday 21 May at 11am. No need to book. Free with museum admission
Tuesday 3 May 2022 Court Room, High Street, Chipping Campden. Event organised by Chipping Campden Literature Festival 3.30pm £8 price includes one half price admission to Court Barn Museum An illustrated account of how Paul Reeves found lost treasures by pre-eminent British architects, artists and designers. These include
This year we will be celebrating past winners of the Bursary Award: Gemma Clarke Anna Clegg Milo Leigh Will Whatley The exhibitors’ practice spans a range of media which includes painting, drawing, audio, printmaking, sculpture and book arts. Inspired by subjects as broad as the city, the self, memory, mindfulness and science fiction, they will be showing selected works from their recent practice. Trustee Sue Gavin says: ‘The Bursary Award
Celebrating a new commission from internationally renowned contemporary jeweller, Vicki Ambery-Smith. Over a three day weekend we will be talking about, watching and having a go at making jewellery. Saturday 30 April At 11am a short informal talk on hallmarks by the former Head of the Assay Office in Birmingham. Demonstrations, throughout the day by jewellers including Vicki Ambery-Smith, Ros Watts, Tim Blades and Harriet St Leger. Screening two films, one on
Celebrating 120 years of C.R. Ashbee in Chipping Campden This year marks the 120th anniversary of arrival of C.R. Ashbee in Campden. At the turn of the 20th century Chipping Campden was changing and the population had fallen, in part due to the decline in agricultural work. When C.R. Ashbee arrived in 1902 and took visitors round Campden he would point to houses standing empty and divided up, the windows
Saturday 6 November at 11am THIS EVENT HAS PASSED Join collector Alec Jeakins on an informal guided tour of the Festival of Britain exhibition. Costs £3.50 in addition to the entrance fee. Booking advisable, please contact the museum.
Collecting contemporary ceramics discussion and valuation Thursday 15 July at 2pm Join Marijke Varrall-Jones, founder and Director of Maak, for a discussion on CollectingContemporary Ceramics followed at 3pm by a free no obligation valuation session. This event will take place in the Church Rooms, Calf Lane, Chipping Campden, GL55 6JG.A three minute walk from the museum. Pre booking required – please contact the museum. Discussion: £5, Valuation session at from
As a young man Bernard Leach spent eleven formative years in Japan and the Far East where he was introduced to the art and craft of oriental ceramics. He became a serious potter and – at the invitation of Frances Home who was setting up a Guild of Handicrafts to work alongside the existing artists’ colony at St Ives in Cornwall – returned to Britain in 1920. With Shoji Hamada,
Court Barn supports students from Chipping Campden School each year by offering a bursary to help them on their career path in the arts. The bursary is integral to the museum’s aim to promote craft and design and provides an opportunity for emerging artists to realise their full potential. Gemma Clark was awarded the Court Barn Bursary in 2019.
31 August – 17 November 2019. John Makepeace OBE is a distinguished furniture designer and maker. Through a collection of chairs, artist’s prototypes and designs, this exhibition looked at John Makepeace’s inspiration and the very distinctive rationale behind each piece. One of world’s leading furniture designer–makers, John Makepeace was at the forefront of the British Craft Revival during the 1970s and 1980s and has since continued to create beautifully designed
27 April – 21 July 2019. The sculpture, carver and puppet master William Simmonds was the central figure in the renewal of the Arts and Crafts movement in Gloucestershire after the First World War. His larger work was compared with that of Eric Gill and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska.
9 February – 24 March 2019. This exhibition explored Ashbee’s favourite poetry and music, including 14 titles of his selection of great poems and The Essex House Song Book (1903-5) which was edited by his wife Janet.
27 July – 28 October 2018. In celebration of the 1918 Act which first gave some women the right to vote, the exhibition showcases the work of May Morris, Louise Powell and Nelly Erichsen.
13 April – 8 July 2018. A celebration of nine leading contemporary designers who follow the rich heritage established by architect and designer Charles Robert Ashbee – placing great value on work, the joy of craftsmanship and the natural beauty of materials. Annette Friedrich, artist bookbinder Brought up in Germany, Annette moved to London, and set up her studio for unique fine bindings. She is a founding member of the
Sidney Reeve joined the Guild of Handicraft in 1902 to work as a silversmith. He left in 1904 to teach at Leicester School of Art, and worked there for the next thirty years. Court Barn holds a large collection of his drawings. Sidney Reeve was born in Bewdley, Worcestershire, where his father was the local postmaster. Reeve trained as an art teacher and taught at Kidderminster School of Art. It
7 April – 9 July 2017. This major exhibition of 2017 curated by experts Alan Crawford and Mary Greensted is the first to showcase C R Ashbee’s Campden period. It will include the full range of Ashbee’s work during that time, as a designer of furniture, metalwork, silver, jewellery and printed books. Many pieces held by private lenders have never been on public display.
28 January – 26 March 2017. To celebrate Court Barn’s 10th anniversary we will be displaying objects the Museum has acquired since 2007. The exhibition will focus on those objects currently in our archive including pieces of Campden pottery, books illustrated by Paul Woodroffe and a plaque by Alec Miller. We are inviting nine people from our volunteers, Friends of the Museum, Trustees and staff to choose their favourite piece.
8 October – 20 November 2016. The Essex House Press books were not just words on the page, they were also beautiful objects. The exhibition explored the handsome bindings, striking emblems and evocative illustrations with which they were enriched.
16 July – 2 October 2016. A leading artist in his day Sir Frank Brangwyn believed that art was part of everyday life. He achieved world-wide acclaim for his paintings and murals and designed furniture, ceramics, glass stained glass and metal work.
16 April – 5 June 2016. A private collection of Winchcombe pottery formed over a number of years, this exhibition included special one-off pieces as well as those made for every day.
12 December – 13 March 2015-16. John Limbrey was a renowned silversmith, model maker and artist. A contemporary of Robert Welch at the School of Silversmithing at Birmingham College of Art he joined Robert Welch at his workshop in Chipping Campden in 1958. The Tower Goblet and Silver box (1972) seen on display are examples of his work.
27 June – 27 September 2015. This stunning exhibition of patterned and story tiles from private collections illustrated the decorative work by William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and others.
3 April – 17 May 2015. A celebration of the work of Talwin Morris, art director of the Glasgow publishers, Blackie and Son, from 1893. He became a friend of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his contemporaries and the distinctive elements of the Glasgow Style are reflected in his work.
17 January – 29 March 2015. The exhibition showed fire tools and other domestic pieces made in Campden by Thornton and Downer and in the Sapperton smithy of Ernest Gimson as well as more decorative work such as candlesticks and sconces. Pieces by the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft and the Russell Workshops were also included.
18 October – 30 November 2014. A display on the fortunes of the Guildsmen during the First World War.
19 July – 28 September 2014. This exhibition looked at the inspiration and influences on Robert Welch, his relationship with his customers, the commissions he has worked on and the period in which they were created.
21 March – 8 June 2014. This exhibition included books that reflect Ashbee’s links with the Arts & Crafts movement such as Beauty’s Awakening and An Endeavour towards the teaching of John Ruskin and William Morris. Books by friends including Ananda Coomaraswamy, Lord Redesdale and Hugh Seebohm and Guildsmen such as Archibald Ramage.
21 December – 2 March 2013-14. This exhibition celebrated the on-going craft traditions of The Guild of Handicraft and in particular the Hart Silversmiths Trust Project to conserve, catalogue and digitise the important collection of over 3000 drawings produced by Hart’s workshop over the last century.
10 October – 24 November 2013. This husband and wife team are best known for their stunning artistic jewellery based on leaf and flower forms. Also shown were examples of their work as illustrators. The Gaskins worked mainly in Birmingham and moved to Campden in 1924.
4 July – 22 September 2013. Winchcombe Pottery, set up by Michael Cardew, has been producing useful domestic wares for over eighty years. It has always been a team effort overseen by Cardew and then Ray Finch and now Mike Finch. Many potters from Britain and elsewhere have gained valuable practical experience working there.
28 March – 2 June 2013. Reginald Sharpley (1879-1947) was a civil engineer, Guards officer in the War and artist who came to Campden in the 1920s. Here, he painted, drew and made prints, hunted and involved himself in the artistic life of the town.
31 October – 25 November 2012. A display on the men who were part of the Guild of Handicraft and their families who came from East London to Chipping Campden.
2 August – 7 October 2012. An exhibition of rare, privately owned watercolours and drawings by F.L. Griggs R.A
26 April – 1 July 2012. The Essex House Press was set up in 1898. It was one of a small number of private printing presses established in the latter part of the 19th century as a reaction against the mass-produced works that had been developed in the Victorian era. These private presses were concerned with the look of the book as a work of art; the quality of the
10 January – 11 March 2012. An exhibition showing the sidecar as used in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The Watsonian squire sidecar manufactured in Blockley has become a worldwide best seller and a design classic.
3 – 25 September 2011. Norman Jewson was an architect and craftsman of the Cotswold group of Arts & Crafts movement. He settled in Sapperton in 1907 to work for Ernest Gimson and continued to practice as an architect and designer in the Cotswolds until 1974.
9 July – 29 August 2011. An exhibition of paintings by Marianne and Adrian Stokes curated by Magdalen Evans with photographs of the work of the Milhai Eminescu Trust.
21 April – 3 July 2011. A selection from Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum’s nationally significant collection curated by Mary Greensted. This exhibition looked at different approaches to the use of plants, flowers and animals in the work of C.R. Ashbee, William de Morgan, Fred Partridge, Edith Payne, William Simmonds and Ernest Gimson.
15 January – 17 March 2011. A display on the life of Harry Warmington, a local silversmith and metal worker, who along with George Hart revived C.R. Ashbee’s Campden School of Arts and Crafts in the 1940’s.
8 May – 27 June 2010. The story of 20th century textile crafts from Ethel Mairet at Broad Campden in the 1900s, through Mary Osborn at Stanton in the 1970s and 1980s, to craftspeople of the present day.
25 April – 21 June 2009. Felicity Ashbee, the second daughter of C.R. and Janet Ashbee, was born in the Norman Chapel, Broad Campden in 1913. Her death in 2008 broke one of the last direct links with the Arts and Crafts movement.
19 July – 21 September 2008. Textiles, posters, prints, paintings and calligraphy by the talented designer and painter Margaret Calkin James (1894-1985), who worked in Chipping Campden during the Second World War.
