Crafty move to protect traditional skills from disappearing forever
A museum trust is working to help preserve some of the skills at risk of disappearing.
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust practise a number of skills recently found to be at risk of extinction in a report compiled by the Heritage Crafts Association. They examined 169 traditional crafts and found that a number could be lost forever.
Anna Brennand Chief Executive Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Commented: “For 50 years the Trust has worked long and hard to protect the heritage of the Ironbridge Gorge. Whilst the buildings and artefacts are a key part of this heritage, the skills of the Industrial Revolution are of equal importance.
"The Ironbridge Gorge has always been an inspirational location for artisans and we are passionate about keeping these traditions alive.”
Greta Bertram, who led the research on behalf of the Heritage Crafts Association, said: “To be properly safeguarded for the future, heritage crafts must be practised and passed from one generation to the next. It’s fantastic that museums like the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust are actively supporting our intangible craft heritage in this way.”
Skills taught to staff, volunteers and tenants include iron casting, blacksmithing, tinsmithing and wood-turning at blists hill, as well as floor and wall tile making at Jackfield Tile Museum.
The ancient art of making clay tobacco pipes is listed as ‘critically endangered’ which is the highest classification of risk, and is now kept alive at Broseley Pipeworks.
One of the Trust’s long standing volunteers still keeps alive this critically endangered skill. Aware of the need to find more volunteers to learn this craft, the Trust is actively looking for more people to perfect this skill.
For more details about the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust visit ironbridge.org.uk
