News
OUR EASTER OPENING HOURS April 18 2019
BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND AT THE WORKHOUSE August 24 2018
We will be open each day over the Bank Holiday.
The Workhouse Cafe will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10am to 4pm serving pastries, light lunches, excellent coffee, home made cakes, ice cream and a wide range of teas, wine and beer. We have a seasonal lunch menu with a variety of salads, soups, frittatas and tarts - all generous in flavour. Relaxed seating, a courtyard garden and children and dogs are very welcome.
There will be Open Studios throughout Presteigne over the weekend, including Sara Bamford's sculptures. Studio opening times: Saturday 25th - Monday 27th August from 11am to 5pm. Follow this Facebook link for map of locations and participating artists: Open Studio Presteigne.
INTRODUCING LLUNIO June 30 2018
As a family of makers based in Wales, and very rooted here, we wanted a name for our new collection of products, made especially for The Workhouse, which represented our connection to this place.
Llunio is not only a beautiful Welsh word, but it also sums up perfectly what we do; design, fabricate and construct. Over the past few years, we have been designing and producing new products here in our workshop, enlisting the skills of some very talented makers, pattern cutters and leather workers to help us realise our new designs. Now we have a range of beautifully scented candles, handbags and the first few items from our clothing collection available.
The clothing designs come from a desire to create things we would love to wear and are useful. We have paid particular attention to making things you would want to keep and that improve with age.
We have selected fabrics that are made from natural fibres, are washable and will wear-in gracefully. We hope that we have created a collection of classic, everyday faithfuls that you will miss when they are in the wash! The full collection will be available at The Workhouse and online very soon.
'KNACKERED BUT NICE' RUG EXHIBITION April 02 2018
A sale of beautiful rugs repaired in our workshop. Our highly skilled team led by Sara Bamford uses many years of expertise to offer a wide-ranging repair service and advice. From complete rebuilding of missing areas to stabilising of treasured old rugs, the team can adapt restoration and conservation techniques.
Open Mon-Sat 10-4. Free parking and easy access.
EASTER AT THE WORKHOUSE GALLERY March 28 2018
We are open:
Good Friday - open 10am to 4pm
Saturday 31st March - open 10am to 4pm
Easter Sunday - closed
Easter Monday - open 10am to 4pm
A perfect day out at the Workhouse Gallery this Easter! Shop in the gallery and lovely light lunches, homemade cakes (including Sarah's Simnel cake) and coffee in the café.
CLEANING RUGS IN THE SNOW March 19 2018
Cleaning rugs in the snow here at the Workhouse Gallery. The snow was perfect for cleaning as it was powdery (unlike the usual wet slush) and the dry snow brushes through the rugs picking up all the dirt.
We are preparing for the 'Knackered but Nice' rug exhibition coming up soon from 3rd - 28th April. A sale of beautiful, handmade rugs repaired in our workshop.
SALE! January 29 2018
The Workhouse Gallery SALE starts 1st February.
Up to 50% off selected pieces. Amazing reductions on some of our most beautiful carpets, textiles, gifts, art supplies, haberdashery, clothing, toys and many other unique items. Plus hugely reduced prices for our prototypes and samples; jackets, apron dresses and artists' smocks in linen, denim and canvas.
Open: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm (until 3rd Febuary)
Open: Monday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm (from 5th February onwards)
JUST TRADE - Ethical jewellery at The Workhouse Gallery January 15 2018
Conscious and sustainable brands at The Workhouse Gallery
Just Trade is an ethical jewellery brand founded on principals of fair trade and sustainable practices. Working with eight groups of artisans in Peru, Ecuador, India and Vietnam, all their pieces are made using locally sourced and ethical materials and reflect their collaborative approach in their innovative and varied designs.
The Alexandra bracelet (above) is one of our favourites. Crafted by Nieves and Cristina from the Hope Jewellery Fair Trade Project in Lima, Peru, its beautiful geometric design is shaped out of coiled brass, making for a modern and contemporary feel. By working with Just Trade, the women from this project are able to educate their children and secure a better future for their families.
Laura Cave, founder of Just Trade, studied jewellery design at The School of Jewellery in Birmingham and later the Royal College of Art in London. She visited Peru to volunteer with a fair trade jewellery project. It was there that she saw the incredible potential in the skills that they already had, materials that were available locally and the artisans desire to learn more. "I wanted to collaborate with them make desirable products that are valued not only for their fair trade approach but also for the quality of the design and craftsmanship". Just Trade was founded in 2006, born out of first hand contact with people in the developing world and the recognition that in order for small Fair Trade projects to be sustainable, they need a long-term route to market for their goods.
See you in the new year! December 27 2017
The Workhouse Gallery and Cafe are closed between Christmas and New Year. We re-open Tuesday 2nd January 2018. Wishing you all a very happy new year.
NEW CLOTHES LINE October 11 2017
Our new clothes line has launched! Japanese jackets, apron dresses and artists' smocks in linen, denim and canvas. All hand made upstairs in the workshop here at the Workhouse Gallery.
TULIP FEVER October 04 2017
These beautiful collections of bulbs have been put together by Sabina Rüber and are available to order now here at the Workhouse Gallery. There are five collections to choose from.
Sabina Rüber is an acclaimed gardens photographer and lives locally. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Gardens Illustrated, House & Garden, The Times and The Observer. Her stunning book, Painterly Plants is also available from us here at the Workhouse.
h.ART AT THE WORKHOUSE GALLERY September 06 2017
For h.Art we will be exhibiting a collection of Sara Bamford's figurative sculptures in welded steel. The gallery and cafe will be open each day from 10am to 4pm during h.Art which runs from 9th - 17th September (Sundays 11am - 4pm).
More about Sara's work here: www.sara-bamford.co.uk/
TOVI SORGA - printed leather June 30 2017
At the Workhouse Gallery we work with makers from across the UK and we especially enjoy working with inspiring designers and craftspeople such as Tovi Sorga.
Founded by artist and leather jeweller Tovi Sorga, Bristol based accessories brand Tovi Sorga produces some of the finest leather finishes available today. At the heart of the work are rich, delicate prints.The unique printing technique, honed by Tovi over the past decade, helps create the unparalleled depth and richness for which his work has become reknowned.
Avoiding the flat, often mechanical effect of much digital printing on leather, bold colour is fixed in such a way as to allow high definition and range. Celebrating Tovi and his partner Agnes Davis’ love for nature, purses, wallets and journals are covered with flowers from an English summer and a Dutch spring, the impressions of lace and decoupage roses. Vibrant charms cut into the shape of butterflies and fish are printed with wonderful accuracy, mimicking the natural creatures themselves.
Dutch Spring Wallet (available at The Workhouse Gallery)
Marmaduke Butterfly keyring at The Workhouse Gallery
Octopi journal
THE TEAM
Working from their studio in the vibrant hub of Bristol’s Stokes Croft, Tovi designs and works with his partner, Agnes Davis. Agnes is a writer by trade, and a poet at heart, but fell in love with Tovi and his work when they met several years ago.
Their creative partnership has led to new developments for the business, with Agnes taking on the web-design, photography, PR and marketing which enables Tovi to concentrate on meeting the ever-growing demand for their collections.
THE CRAFT
Texture and a craftsman’s adoration for material are key to Tovi’s work. The finest leather hides are selected and treated by Tovi himself to achieve his trademark ‘buttery’ texture.
Tovi prints the leather using a digital process, and crafts his products on a hand turned vintage Singer sewing machine – one of the most essential tools in the trade to achieve absolute accuracy and control.
Traditional leather craft tools and techniques are then applied to create a hardwearing and luxurious finish. It’s a particularly difficult process to achieve success with, as the durability of the surface, tactility of the leather and definition of the design all need expert handling to achieve this superb finish.
Tovi’s work has become well known around the world. He has received commissions from the Royal Academy and Rijksmuseum, and also undertaken collaborations with other creators, including corset designer, Lisa Keating, tebori tattoo artist, David J Watt, and wallpaper designer, Juliet Chadwick.
ETHICS
Essential to Tovi and Agnes’ creative ethos is the sustainability of their work. Tovi only uses leathers that are recycled as a waste product of the food industry, from trusted British suppliers, who meet strict European standards of animal and worker welfare. Leather is carefully sourced to create as low a carbon footprint as possible. Packaging is British-made from recycled and biodegradable materials wherever possible.
English Summer wallet at The Workhouse Gallery
More about Tovi Sorga here www.tovisorga.com
CARD ROOM CARPET AT GOODWOOD HOUSE June 16 2017
The new circular carpet for the Card Room at Goodwood House was woven in Bulgaria under the direction of David Bamford and is an exact copy of the original Regency Axminster. This is part of David's ongoing reweaving of carpets for Goodwood House. (Photos below by James Peill, with thanks).
HOW WE REPRODUCE A CARPET
The process begins with a visual appraisal of the original carpet, taking note of the design, where it repeats, the major motifs and all of the colours used. Then the carpet's overall size is measured along with the size of the different motifs and distance between them to prevent distortion of the design in the drawings of the rug.
At this time we also do a knot count to measure knots per square metre. A few knots of each colour are removed from the original rug to match the dyes for the new carpet. Finally, the carpet is photographed in a grid pattern to double check that we have not missed any variations in the design.
All of this information is then used to as a guide to create a grid showing the correct knots per square metre with colour of each knot represented by a coloured square on the gridded paper. The point paper along with samples of all the colours are then sent to our weavers in Bulgaria and a 1 x 2 metre sample is woven showing all major motifs and borders for the client’s approval.
Once the client agrees the sample, the rest of the drawing for the full carpet are completed and sent to Bulgaria for the full size carpet to be woven by our team of amazing weavers!
Read more about our bespoke weaving here and David's website here www.davidbamfordhandmadecarpets.co.uk
ARMEL DESRUES - glass artist and craftsman May 17 2017
Armel had long admired the work of Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin, two international artists based in Paris where he did an internship at the age of eighteen. Armel's completion of schooling in Montreal coincided with Philip and Monica's move from Paris to their workshops near Presteigne. The timing was extremely fortuitous as they needed an assistant and Armel was keen to work with them. At the studio Armel works on projects and commissions with Philip and Monica, but also concentrates on his own work and art. These photos show Armel at work on his own collection at the Baldwin Guggisberg studio.
Get Creative March 29 2017
Come and see how you can use our Vintage Paint to ‘upcycle’ an ordinary piece of furniture into something really special. Jenny will be painting a few small pieces of furniture from start to finish.
Come and see Rose working on our new clothing designs and handbags.
On 7-9 April BBC Cymru Wales, Arts Council of Wales, Voluntary Arts Wales and What Next? are teaming up for a weekend to celebrate the nation’s creativity – and we’re inviting you to join in. Shining a light on Wales as a place where we take part in arts and culture and get creative! More about Get Creative here https://getcreative.wales/
MALCOLM TURNER - CERAMICS March 07 2017
Early Closing: 2pm Saturday, 4th February 2017 February 01 2017
In honour of our dear friend and colleague Nicola Humphreys, we will close early this Saturday so that all members of staff can attend her memorial service.JAMES BURNETT-STUART January 17 2017
Makers at the Workhouse Gallery
First in a series of blogs about the makers who inspire us. Here at the Workhouse Gallery we work with craft makers and showcase and sell their work. We choose thoughtful, sustainable and beautiful pieces which are expressed through dedication to method, materials and design.
James Burnett-Stuart is a local potter who produces seemingly simple rustic pottery but which is, at the same time, sophisticated and beautiful.
James trained at Harrow College from 1986-8, having originally done a degree in English Literature at Cambridge University. He made ranges of tableware for shops and galleries including The Conran Shop, Designer’s Guild and Egg. His work from this period was frequently featured in magazines such as World of Interiors, Elle Decoration and Country Living. James has held solo shows of more individual pieces at The Scottish Gallery (Edinburgh), Egg (London) and Charleston Farmhouse (East Sussex). James was also Artist in Residence at Charleston. From 1999 James took a ten year break from pottery and concentrated on other things including drawing and painting. He started making pots again in his beautiful workshop at Lower Way Farm near Kington in 2009.
"I like the way pots enter our lives stealthily, benignly, and exert their quiet influence. As companions, offering beauty, comfort, practical service, sensuous experience all in a modest almost subliminal way. This is the beauty of pottery - that it lives side by side with us not calling for attention, and not provoking self-consciousness. But allowing, as it were, by slow release, discoveries of depth and detail" - James Burnett-Stuart.
"All my pots are, as always, made from red earthenware clay which is slipped with a lighter coloured clay, and glazed, possibly with a second layer. Many pots are thrown and often altered immediately – for example scalloped or fluted. Increasingly I like making pots free-hand or with simple wooden moulds. This enables one to make pots that aren’t round."
"I hope have taken some influence from local hedgerows and weather, as well as certain types of Japanese and European pottery. They are of a scale – my preferred scale – that invites being picked up, felt and used" - James Burnett-Stuart.
James' work is available to buy from us at the Workhouse Gallery. Please email us if you are interested in a particular piece.
Rug and Textile Sale Now On August 23 2016
Crane Cookware now available at The Workhouse June 01 2016
Succulents in the sunshine May 04 2016
It is finally time to get out and enjoy our courtyard in the sunshine for a coffee or light lunch. We are busy planting our seeds in the garden so in a months time we will start to serve our own produce in the café for you to enjoy. We also have a nice selection of tools and other practical and fun items to use in your garden at home.
Thank you and Merry Christmas December 24 2015
Christmas at the Workhouse December 01 2015
This year’s bazaar is all about earthy colours, nature and light. We collaborated with Tom Perceval, who laser cut our window display of snowflakes, and ordered baubles in lovely, earthy shades. As always the shelves are heaving with all kinds of potential presents for your loved ones from stocking fillers to more special gifts.
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