UK Young Friends Ambassador report about the Carve & Craft Weekend : April 4, 2024
To celebrate National Craft Month, in March the Youth Ambassador of the British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM), Heather Stracey, hosted an event called Carve & Craft Weekend: Inspired by Tunbridge Ware at The Amelia Scott (The Amelia) in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where she works as the Senior Collections Officer. This event was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
On the 23rd and 24th of March, Heather teamed up with local craftspeople and artisans, to deliver a programme of talks, tours, workshops, demonstrations, trails, and children’s activities, that were inspired by Tunbridge Wells’ local famous craft: Tunbridge ware.
Iconic Tunbridge ware was invented in the 1680s to support Britain’s earliest tourist industry. These decorative souvenirs flourished at a time when the idea of browsing in shops was new. In the 1700s, they were often manufactured with painted designs or prints showing local attractions. The Victorian era saw the mass production of inlaid mosaic Tunbridge ware in factories, but the industry failed to adapt to changing tastes. Since the 1970s, Tunbridge ware has been revived on a small scale. Today, there is only one known Tunbridge ware maker left!
Over the weekend, The Amelia welcomed 2,000+ visitors, who attended activities such as:
Mini Maker Workshops by Ash & Co., during which children and their parents had the opportunity to build a wooden character of their choice in a child-friendly woodworking workshop.
Tunbridge ware: An interactive experience by Genetic Moo, which included a selfie station that transformed visitors into Tunbridge ware.
Look Behind the Scenes Tour by Heather, which allowed visitors to view some of the treasures in The Amelia’s Museum and Archive collections that aren’t on display.
Making Marquetry: Demonstration by Simon Jewell, which showed The Amelia’s guests how to blend traditional wood crafting skills with contemporary techniques.
Robert Russell the 19th Century Tunbridge Ware Manufacturer: Talk by Michael Howes, which gave visitors the opportunity to learn about a Tunbridge ware maker who invented a unique form of the craft.
All the activities were free of charge, to give all members of the community a chance to participate and learn about local heritage. Tickets could be booked via The Amelia’s website. By the time of the event, every activity was fully booked!
The event was also supported by The Friends at The Amelia Scott (The Friends) and The Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society (The Civic Society), who generously donated money to The Amelia, to purchase some pieces of 17th Century Tunbridge ware, which have now been added into the overall collection. Both The Friends and Civic Society were present at the Carve & Craft Weekend: Inspired by Tunbridge Ware. They welcomed visitors, telling people all about The Amelia’s collection and the roles of their groups. They even had a few sign-ups! Therefore, now have a few new members.
One of the aims of holding this event was to encourage people to learn more about Tunbridge ware, as it is a dying trade. Visitors left the event knowing a lot more about Tunbridge ware than what they did when they arrived. They also had a lot of fun along the way! Due to the event being a success, the Carve & Craft Weekend: Inspired by Tunbridge ware will return to The Amelia in 2025.