Staying Alive

Riverside MillJubilee GalleryExhibition

27 Dec

Written By Laura Wasley

Endangered crafts of the Southwest of England, co-curated by Heritage Crafts

Image credit: Jon Cardwell

This exhibition shines a light on some of the Southwest’s most endangered crafts.

Fourteen master makers share their skills, tools, and stories, showing how traditions shaped by the region’s land and sea still have relevance and beauty today. From boatbuilding and ropemaking to hedging, basketmaking, and tanning, these crafts connect past and present, keeping centuries of knowledge alive in the modern world. 

The distinctive geography and location of the Southwest have greatly influenced the region’s traditional industries and heritage crafts. Its extensive, rugged coastline and proximity to the Atlantic have long supported a thriving fishing industry, which gave rise to related trades such as boatbuilding, sailmaking, ropemaking, and lobster pot making - many of which still survive today in some form. Inland, agriculture has played a key role, particularly sheep farming, which led to wool-based crafts like spinning, dyeing, and knitting. The area’s rich natural resources also supported industries such as stone quarrying and carving, along with metal mining and processing. Moreover, the Southwest’s relative isolation has helped preserve its unique regional identities, dialects, and longstanding traditions, including thatching, dry stone walling, and hedge laying.

We’re now on Bloomberg Connects!

Enjoy extra content for this exhibition - listen to audio interviews with featured exhibitors while walking through the gallery, or from the comfort of your own home.

Download the Bloomberg Connects app and enhance your visit with our FREE digital guide. Find out more.

2 May - 4 July 2026

Jubilee Gallery

Events

Friday 1 May, 6 - 8pm: Opening Party

Friday 8 May, 10.30am - 4.30pm: Signwrite Your Own Ornate Letter, a workshop with Amy Goodwin

Tuesday 26 May, 10.30am - 12.30pm: Make a Ditty Bag, a workshop for children & families with Sue Liscoe

Tuesday 26 May, 1.30pm - 3.30pm: Make a Ditty Bag, a workshop for children & families with Sue Liscoe

Saturday 9 May 2026, 10am - 4pm: Collaborative Corn Dolly Making, drop-in session with Vicky Putler

Friday 19 June 2026, 10.30am - 3.30pm:Make a Flax Corn Dolly, a workshop with Vicky Putler

Friday 3 July, 10.30am - 3.30pm: Withy Pot Demo & Meet the Maker with Sue Morgan

Saturday 4 July, 10.30am - 4pm: Make a Willow Crab Pot, a workshop with Sue Morgan

Interactive map of endangered crafts in the Southwest

Click on the icons representing each of the endangered crafts showcased in the exhibition to find out more about them. This beautifully illustrated map is available to buy from MAKE Southwest, as an A2 digital print.