Lost and Endangered Crafts

3rd Nov- 13th Dec 2026.   12th-31st Jan 2027

Bailiffgate is delighted to present this combined Museum and Makers Exhibition of Lost, Endangered and Heritage Crafts.

The Heritage Crafts Association lists Extinct, Critically Endangered and Endangered Heritage Crafts in the UK and this exhibition will bring together items from the Museum Archives with pieces made by local makers and artisans for a fascinating exploration and display of heritage crafts with a strong local presence.

This exhibition seeks to honour and highlight the value of Heritage Crafts to our local cultures and communities today. By contrasting extinct and endangered crafts, some represented in our Museum Archives, with a resurgence in the popularity and respect for Heritage Crafts today, we will tell the stories of lost crafts and the specialised skills of contemporary local artisans championing local skills that reflect our rich history and heritage.

Makers and crafts are represented with stained glass, wood and stone carving, manuscripts, basket weaving, blacksmithing and more besides.

A programme of workshops and Artisan demonstration days will accompany this exhibition.

Anna Corbett is a basketmaker and fibre artist who loves making string and works with local materials gathered from where she lives in rural Northumberland. Her work lies on the borders between basketry and textiles, combining traditional skills from different cultures with creative innovation. See Anna's website

Luke Batchelor is a stone carver, designer and conservator based in the North East of England. For him it is all about creating unique stone carvings, sensitively preserving historic ones and hunting down prehistoric stone carvings near to his home in the Borders. See Luke's website

Lucy Baxandall, working out of Tidekettle Paper in Berwick, is a hand papermaker. Her work extends from the traditional craft of western hand papermaking (sheetforming), through to artwork using paper and pulp as creative media via more experimental techniques. Lucy passes on both traditional and non-traditional papermaking skills through courses and workshops. See Lucy's website

Helen Grierson is a glass artist based in Northumberland, skilled in the medieval craft of stained glass and also kiln-formed glass. Helen Grierson seeks to unearth the creative, generative essence of the female universe, in which women represent the spiritual and moral axis of the world. See Helen's website

Richard Wilson’s craft is concerned with making and repairing bows for all stringed instruments. All are made by hand from pernambuco or snakewood for the early historic models, ebony with silver or gold fitments. Various styles are incorporated, from early baroque to modern. Repairs range from basic hair replacement to more drastic surgery. See Richard's website