Learn how to split kindling with this instructional article by woodsman Vince Thurkettle.
The Delight of Kindling The ubiquitous petroleum-based firelighter has to a large extent replaced traditional kindling in fire lighting, both in the home and with the summer barbecue. This is a pity. I…
Learn how to make a perfect wood fire with this instructional article by woodsman Vince Thurkettle.
Our Debt to Fire Most anthropologists believe that people first ‘domesticated’ fire over one million years ago; some believe it was very much earlier. I believe it is hard to overstate the importance…
Learn how to care for your axe with this instructional article by woodsman Vince Thurkettle.
The Axe, our Oldest Tool? In caring for and using an axe it is worth a moment reflecting upon the history of this singularly useful tool. The first axes were made around 1.5…
An appreciation of the skill involved in making a Sussex Trug, by Robin Tuppen of the Cuckmere Trug Co.
The apparent simplicity of a trug is deceptive; although simple in terms of design, name and use, the construction of a traditional Sussex Trug requires much skill in order to transform the humble…
Learn how to split firewood with this instructional article by woodsman Vince Thurkettle.
A lifetime of splitting firewood. In writing this piece I thought it best to begin by addressing the question of why I feel it is so important that anybody who has wood fires…
A brief insight into Savile Row tailoring, by Simon Crompton of Permanent Style
Savile Row may be one of the most powerful brands for menswear anywhere in the world, but few understand it. It conjures up, perhaps, a sketch of an English gentleman: dapper and exceedingly…
How to make a slipware pottery jug - demonstrated by Doug Fitch, Founder of Douglas Fitch Slipware Pottery.
Literally getting stuck-in and your hands dirty is a daily occurrence to a potter, but all in a good way. A slipware potter can also enjoy the childlike pleasure of the ‘slip and…
Interview with Yvonne Green, Principal of the Boat Building Academy, Dorset.
One of the most iconic yet familiar embodiments of the triumph of mankind over nature is the boat, an invention borne out of necessity, dating back to prehistoric times. The expertise and craftsmanship…
Five tips on gold panning by a world champion gold panner - Vince Thurkettle.
It is not quite as dramatic as the Hollywood film ‘Paint your Wagon’, or quite as harsh as real-life prospecting would have been in the mid-1800s in Gold-Rush California, however, standing up to…
