Abney Park Autumn Fayre

Spoon carving & Bowl turning
(demo all day)

  • Saturday 19th October 2019
  • 11 am – 4 pm
  • Free, All welcome

Abney Park is looking forward to hosting a day of fun at their annual Autumn Fair. Come along and enjoy a variety of arts and crafts stalls, second-hand books, tempting food and drinks for all, arts & plant workshops, kids activities and music in the chapel. Plus – fabulous prizes to be won on the Abney Park User Group tombola! Proceeds raised will help fund future activities at Abney Park.


Lucie Gledhill – Jerwood Makers Open 2019

Art green woodworking
at London Green Wood

For some days, jeweler artist Lucie Gledhill joined us at our outdoor workshop in Abney Park to work on an unusual green woodwork project. Lucie is one of the five artists selected for the biennial Jerwood Makers Open 2019.

Jerwood Makers Open was established in 2010 to promote the significance of making and materials within the visual arts arena, seeking to support exceptional skill and imagination. It supports artists to freely develop creative ideas central to their individual practices. It looks broadly at how contemporary artists are defining or challenging the boundaries of what has traditionally been described as applied arts.

The artists were selected from over 300 applications in response to an open call for self-directed projects from UK-based makers and collaborators within 10 years of establishing their practice. Each artist receives a bursary to support experimentation and the making of new work for this exhibition.

We looking forward to see the final work at the Jerwood Makers Open 2019 exhibition, from the 19th June to the 18th August in Jerwood Space.

Jerwood Makers Open 2019
19 Jun – 18 Aug 2019

Jerwood Space
171 Union Street, Bankside
London SE1 0LN
=> Map

+44 (0)20 7654 0179
jerwoodarts.org

Bodgers Ball 2019

11th & 12th of May
Wimpole Hall estate
Cambridgeshire

The Bodgers Ball 2019 was held in the Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire on the 11th and 12th of May. Pre-Ball runned on Thursday 9th and 10th of May. As it was in the flat, ‘fenny’ part of the country, the year theme was Wetlands.

Location: Wimpole Hall, Arrington, Royston, Cambridgeshire SG8 0BW

Photos by @slow.maker

Bodgers Ball line-up:

Sorry if we missed someone, let us know (contact).

For more information: bodgersball2019.wordpress.com

SPOONFEST 2019

Spoonfest is held each year on the first weekend of August, in Edale, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, UK. Situated in the heart of the Peak District at the start of the Pennine Way, between Manchester and Sheffield.

Tickets will be on sale on Sunday 28th April 2019 HERE

  • Festival Tickets go on sale at 11am (UK time).
  • Pre-fest Tickets go on sale at 12pm midday (UK time)

Spoonfest is the international celebration of the carved wooden spoon, featuring: masses of green wood, lots of sharp tools to try out for free, the best carvers in the world doing free demonstrations and paid workshops, campfires, the spoon gallery full of inspiration, Spoonshop for spoons, tools and Tshirts, camping on site, local beer sold for charity, a wood fired pizza oven, all this with a wonderful festival atmosphere in the heart of the Peak District countryside.

Workshops cost £10 each paid direct to the tutor and can not be booked in advance. They have to be booked when SPOONSHOP opens in the morning which means if you desperately want to do a particular workshop you need to get in the queue early.

On the Friday there will be lots of beginners classes focussing on the techniques of using axes and knives and discussions about timber. On Saturday and Sunday there will be more  intermediate and advanced classes. Most workshops will be repeated Saturday and Sunday so if you miss out Saturday you get a second chance to book early Sunday.

The Spoonfest line-up is getting too numerous to list but here’s some of the spoon carvers you’ll find sharing their skills with you this year:

For more information: spoonfest.co.uk

Spoon Carving, Kolrosing & Chip Carving with Adam Hawker

Master spoon carver Adam Hawker
guest tutor at the London Green Wood

London Green Wood are very excited to welcome Adam Hawker as a guest tutor at the workshop, all the way from Dorset, in London for one weekend only!

Saturday 30th & Sunday 31th March 2019


About Adam

After spending ten years swinging from trees as an arborist and tree surgeon, Adam decided he needed a job where he could keep both feet firmly on the ground whilst still being a part of the woodland around me.

Having previously studied engineering woodworking seemed a natural step and working with the natural inclination of the green wood soon developed into a passion.

Adam’s spoon carving addiction has grown over the years and he has had the privilege to learn from some of the finest spoon makers across the globe. Carving spoons, focusing on the small details that make each one different has become a meditation.

Many of Adams spoons have kolrosing decoration, this is a traditional Scandinavian technique where single incised cuts are made to create a pattern, the spoon is then oiled and a colourant rubbed into the incisions and once burnished the pattern is sealed in.

Adam lives in West Dorset, England with his family and works full time for Guy Mallinson’s Crafty Camping, a luxury woodland campsite where he teaches various greenwood working skills. In his spare time Adam carves spoons to sell on his own website.


Spoon carving course

You will learn how to safely use the axe, knife and hook knife, what to look for when selecting wood, spoon design and how to carve with confidence. Hopefully you’ll also soak up the love and passion Adam has for making these everyday functional, yet exceptional, objects.

Your spoons will be made from green wood (i.e. before it has dried), sourced locally. Carved using simple hand tools, each spoon will be unique. You’ll go home with a wooden spoon which is an appealing organic alternative to metal cutlery.


Kolrosing & Chip Carving course

You will learn the techniques of kolrosing including how to lay out a pattern, execute neat cuts, oil and how to add colourant before burnishing.

The workshop will also cover chip carving, where you’ll learn various techniques and several simple patterns/designs.

If you have have any suitable knives please bring them with you. If you want to decorate any spoons bring them along, otherwise we will be practicing on prepared boards. No previous spoon carving experience is necessary.

London Green Wood shortlisted for Tesco Bags of Help

VOTE FOR US in Hackney Tesco stores

Please vote for us in Tesco stores all over Hackney from 1st March to 31st April 2019.

London Green Wood is a not for profit cooperative and a community of green woodworkers based in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington. From our outdoor woodland workshop, using wood felled locally, we bring heritage crafts to the heart of the city and make basic woodcraft skills available to all. We use hand tools and green wood straight from the log.

At our workshop people of all backgrounds and levels of experience learn and practice woodwork alongside one another. Our aim is to give people skills and confidence, to connect them with their own innate creativity, and to help them discover the joy of making with their hands.

Our activities include:

  • Whittling courses for families in school holidays
  • Green woodwork courses for adults
  • Volunteering days at our workshop
  • A members’ workshop
  • Whittling sessions at public events all over London.

With this grant from Tesco we will develop our community workshop with new tools and equipment, so that we can create more opportunities for more people to be crafty and creative with locally grown wood.

Join a course, volunteer, find out more: Contact us
Or visit the workshop at Abney Park Cemetery.