Historic Lincoln
1000 Years of Traditional Crafts – 29/30 September 2012
A unique heritage crafts festival is to be staged in Lincoln again after the spectacular launch event last year proved a smash-hit – and for 2012 it will be even bigger.
May 2011’s first-of-its-kind event held in the heart of historic Lincoln brought together two of the city’s top attractions for a one day festival featuring heritage skills and crafts from across the UK and Europe.
Now organisers have revealed that ‘1000 Years of Traditional Crafts’ is to return – and being extended by an extra day.
Staged over the weekend of 29/30 September 2012, the event should also herald the completion of the city’s brand new Heritage Skills Centre, to be built over the next year in the grounds of Lincoln Castle.
The £2.1m innovative centre – which will be the first new building inside the Norman castle for 150 years – will provide training workshops for new recruits to learn bygone trades.
But it will also offer a chance for the public to view craftsmen at work, creating a new visitor attraction for Lincoln.
“We were thrilled with not only how many visitors turned up, but also how well received this year’s event was by heritage craftspeople from far and wide. So, we’re very pleased to not only hold the event again in 2012, but expand it to a two-day weekend celebration,” said Mary Powell, Head of Tourism, Lincolnshire County Council.
The event will offer a chance to get up close to a wide variety of traditional crafts plus a first opportunity to see the new Heritage Skills Centre.
Added Mary Powell: “The key inspiration behind the ‘1000 Years of Traditional Crafts’ event was a desire to give visitors a chance to learn more about heritage skills that could be lost to the nation if we do not safeguard them.
“And the new Heritage Skills Centre will be a major part of that initiative to keep traditional skills alive. It will have a striking architectural design and be built to the highest quality to fit within this atmospheric medieval setting.
“Providing a halfway house between building site and classroom, the centre will not only showcase skills that help maintain the city’s historic buildings, but will also be an investment in our future by helping those vital skills survive and thrive.”
2011’s inaugural event saw specialist Lincolnshire stonemasons who use ancient skills to maintain the magnificent 1,000-year-old Lincoln Cathedral joined by craftspeople from across the UK and Europe.
On display in special areas at both Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle were experts demonstrating traditional crafts ranging from stonemasonry to thatching and stained glass window making to blacksmith skills.
For 2012, the event will be extended to an extra day and as well as hands-on activities, displays and crafts people at work, there will also be Tastes of Lincolnshirefood stalls and food demonstrations around the medieval cobbled streets of the city’s Castle Square.
For more details, follow this link.
