Every year Hatfield House hosts the Living Crafts artisan event, bringng together makers, artists, designers and heritage crafts from around the UK into the beautiful grounds of the House. Open from May 8th till May 11th you'll find workshops to join in with, demonstrations to marvel at, and plenty of artists to shop from!
Buy your tickets in advance here
Living Crafts is a family run business with the passion and ethos of quality handmade craft at it's heart. In the 1970's Peter and Jean Younger organised and ran crafts fairs locally to them, expanding into a larger event at Hatfield House for the first time in 1974. Today Living Crafts is spearheaded by their children, Julie and Robin, who do an amazing job of keeping the core values at the heart of each artisan event. Read more about their story {here}
Hatfield House has a very interesting history, being made up of the Old Palace, Hatfield House, The Gardens, and The Parklands. The Old Palace, built around 1845, is still standing and in use, offering tours to see the childhood home of King Henry VIII's 3 children. Hatfield House itself was build in the grounds of the Old Palace in 1611 by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Sailsbury and is a showcase of Jacobean craftsmanship. The gardens date from the early 1700's and were a marvel then and now building a collection of plants from all over Europe right from the start. The Parklands is where you will find the Living Crafts desiger-maker event, surrounded by woodland walks and majestic deer.
As a maker the Living Crafts Hatfield event is a highlight in my working calendar, to be surrounded by so many talented designers and heritage artisans is a wonderful experience, and the customers who come and visit year after year carry the same ethos as the curators, a passion for quality handmade crafts!