Craftland: A Journey Through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades

by James Fox

Brought to you by Penguin.

Britain was once a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands shaped our identities, built our communities and defined our regions. Craftland chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that used to govern every aspect of life on these shores.

From the Isles of Scilly to the Scottish Highlands, James Fox travels the length of Britain to seek out the country’s last great craftspeople.

Stepping inside the workshops of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bellfounders and watchmakers, we glimpse not only our past but another way of one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future.

For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It is all around us, hiding in plain sight, animating even the most ordinary things. Fox shows that Britain is still a craft land, if only we have eyes to see it.

'Full of stories of crafts and craftspeople and communities, and creativity over the ages. Wonderful' MICHAEL MORPURGO

'Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure' LUCY WORSLEY

'This extraordinary book will leave you awestruck' XAND VAN TULLEKEN

'Brimming with fresh news and seasoned with hope. I read it in two gulps with delight' ANDREW MARR

James Fox 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Crafts, Audiobook, Environment, British Literature

Audible Audio

First published September 4, 2025

Reviews

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

** Shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 2025**

" Maybe it's time to realise that progress isn't actually progress."
"Traditional crafts are dying all the time, vanishing from our world like butterflies from our gardens and pubs from our high streets."

Simply a superb read!!

In a world of fast consumerism, climate change, diminishing direct communication and increased isolation, this exploration of the craft industries of past and present shines an antidote of positivity and a potential lifeline of hope.

James Fox has written a superb read exploring the crafts that are still surviving across the four nations and in some instances re-emerging to growing concerns; he does also look at the flip-side of the huge decline of a nation of specialised and skilled women and men who were the lifeblood of everyday living- a time without imports, mechanisation and carbon emissions.

That is not to say the life of an artisanal craftsperson is an easy choice. Often battling against diminished resources, limited market places and cheaper alternatives, this is the story of the heroes past and present preserving a skill set that could be lost forever.

Travelling from the Scottish Highlands to the southwest of England , onwards to the Chilterns, across to the Fens and much more, James Fox meets these heroes. and explores the history go their trades and their lives today. The prose is full of compassion and warmth, wonderfully observed details and a balance of reality and future hope. Personal favourites were the watch-makers and letter-cutters but that feels like a disservice to all the other incredible people featured who are equally sublime in what they produce.

For some of us, this is a book of childhood's passed and the acknowledgment of the disappearance of so much but for others this may well be a revelation of another world.

There is also an important recognition of the people who use a skill/craft for a living and the thousands who enjoy crafts as hobbies, as a mean of connection, keeping community events at the heart of where they live and pure joy. The distinction is recognised but both are valued.- no snobbery or elitism here. As long as we all value the time, love and dedication placed into each handmade creation around us then the world could be/should be a better place.

This is easily my factual book of 2025- (last year was Raising Hare)

Hugely recommended - a book that will educate and inform, entertain, yes, provide nostalgia for some but ultimately a beacon of hope and resilience

Quotes:

" In our fast-moving world we need these reference points; they give us assurance and stability from which we venture forth"

"Britain is still a craft land, if only we have the eyes to see this."

[Katrina Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 brilliantly, endlessly interesting journey through the crafts, labours, trades, work and artistry (who the hell can define "craft" really) of Britain. Reflecting our culture, industrialisation, fashions, technology, modern consumerism, rural v urban livelihoods, sustainability and traditions.

This book is a great mixture of personal stories, nerdy tool appreciation and a journey back through time. Both sad and hopeful, I'm delighted that these people and their stories are documented and celebrated here.

Scissors, watches, barrels, withy pots, dry stone walls, wheels, leather etc. What variety!

[Tom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An endlessly fascinating combination of social history, travel, and crafting. Fox traverses the UK to tell us about the many crafts that are woven into the fabric of who we are and how we built our societies. But more than that - and key to making this such a good book - he meets the hardy few who are still preserving skills like rush weaving, watchmaking, and drystone walling. It is these people who bring the book to life.

Fox crucially avoids filtering these people and what they do through some nostalgic sepia - well, actually, they stop him as much as he stops himself. Every time he mentions the word art, or suggests that they take some pleasure from what they are doing, he is laughed out of the room. This is not about fun or leisure, this is work, it is livelihood. And really the only way these crafts will be preserved - indeed, the only reason they ever existed in the first place - is if they are needed.

[Grace -thewritebooks]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to go and see James Fox when he toured this book in Bath. It was a wonderful evening filled with interesting anecdotes from this book, and when he opened up the floor for questions at the end, there was a real feeling of craft-community: like-minded people working to keep these crafts alive.
The book takes us on a tour of the UK, meeting different craftspeople and learning what they do and how much skill it takes. As someone interested in this sort of thing (I sew, crochet a little, and am a curious amateur at much more) it was right up my street. There are also a number of exquisite prints and illustrations throughout, and I even have the craft map of the British Isles poster up in my room!

[Neil O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 - this is a book full of many engaging stories and a fine overall concept. Enlightening on the histories, language, personal stories, relevance and geography of the craft trades of the UK. Not fully encyclopaedic but goes a long way to telling a comprehensive story. There were a few moments I worried he would drift into sentimentality about the crafts he discusses but this did not end up being the case. He gives plenty of the grim facts on working conditions, safety and life of the people who worked these crafts back in the day. He can also write - and yes, craft a story. The book itself is also beautifully designed in every detail along with a host of wonderful illustrations throughout.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, compulsive reading. Not, perhaps, the sort of description often applied to books about traditional crafts, but the art historian James Fox’s book about the many forms of human ingenuity and skill at making useful, often complex and frequently beautiful objects is just that. He sets out his stall in an excellent introduction: ‘Britain was once a craft land - a nation of workshops and studios, masters and apprentices; a society grounded in the act of making things by hand’, craft ‘wasn’t a quaint pastime (but) an engine of social and economic life’, but ‘has long been misunderstood and belittled as ‘the ‘minor’ or ‘mechanical arts’’.
Craftland is a highly effective corrective to that lazy narrative and is a remarkable celebration of skills and techniques developed over generations. It’s a necessarily selective survey, but the range of ‘lost arts and vanishing trades’ that Fox covers should be enough to convince any reader of the value that should be attributed to skilled craftsmen and women, of what we have lost, but also what has been preserved and the hope for the future represented by the rising generation of young artisans and makers.
There are several stand out moments and characters in Craftland, but the story of Roger Smith in the chapter called ‘The Watchmaker’s Apprentice’ is truly extraordinary.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable exploration of various crafts from dry-stone walling to quilting. Some of the stories of craftspeople going against the grain of modernisation were surprisingly moving. But I didn’t feel that this book answered all the questions it raised: mainly, how can traditional craft be a template for more sustainable production if businesses are surviving primarily as novelties, catering to niche tourist/heritage markets? There’s definitely value in craft for its own sake (and as part of our shared heritage), but I felt that often arguments surrounding its place in our current post-Industrial economy felt a little muddled and romanticised at points.

However as a history of British craftsmanship, I really liked this — and also what a beautiful book!!

[Eleanor Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been very difficult for me to find pride in being British in recent years. Fox is a beautiful writer and has provided me with a new perspective on the place where I live. I took a while to get through this because I've been so busy, but each chapter was so exciting and taught me so much.

p.s. I love dry stone walling

[RichardGreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Humans are natural born craftspeople … Just watch a child shaping plasticine or stacking blocks, completely absorbed, mesmerised by their own power of transformation. They express something that far too many of us have grown out of or forgotten: that MAKING satisfies a deep and essential need, and so helps us feel truly human.” The author writes this on the final pages of his concluding chapter but I believe it should be on the very first page.

This is a fascinating, and very moving, book about the important role that making has played, and should continue to play, in our society. Unfortunately, it also charts the decline of Britain as a making/manufacturing superpower and how individuals have been left to maintain many of these disappearing skills and traditions.

UK governments talk about the importance of apprenticeships and technical skills education but continue to prioritise university education and academic as opposed to practical excellence. Parity of esteem, between academic and technical, is often talked about but, as of yet, never realised. This book should be required reading for all education ministers.

[Morts. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beeb abridged version.

This read as a series of slighted, mildly misanthropic craftspeople and what are perceived as ignorant questions from the masses. Their incredible skill and hard work, the rarity of talent, though captivating - is buried under the frequent bluster. Probably a result of the abridgment.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We tend to think of craft as a luxury: a retirement pastime, a weekend course, a pretty object in a gift shop. But most of the world’s crafts originated as necessities. They fulfilled the most basic and essential human needs: providing people with clothes and footwear, furnishings and utensils, and the tools they needed for their livelihoods.

And yet, fast forward, and some of these crafts have been extinguished in favor for Aliexpress, etc.

Knowledge workers like myself—I’m always wondering if life would have turned out better, more meaningful, more long lasting if I was doing something else with my hands.

It’s a simple life, yeah. No Teams, green dots, “stay connected or die”... at the end of the day, something tangible that exists has happened. And yet, were these crafters always paid well? Maybe. “Andrew receives just £1.30 for each item, so he needs at least two hundred to make the day worthwhile. He works from dawn till dusk, pausing only for a flask of tea and a rectangle of leftover Christmas cake.”

And was it always “quaint”? We like to think so, and yet “In the first half of the nineteenth century, only 10 percent of the town’s fork-grinders reached the age of forty.”

One thing I really enjoyed was the idea of working with what is available to you and what the local land offers. In an “economic, ecological, and emotional sense.” Most of us have no clue what we are seeing when we look at nature today. We simply see: Rock. Bird. Tree. Bush. With zero clue as to what they actually are, what they do, or how it could be used.

Perhaps the past is sometimes the future.

“Modern technology isn’t only supplanting our hands but aping our thoughts, blurring distinctions between human life and artificial intelligence, physical reality and its virtual simulacra. This remarkable moment is creating opportunities but also anxieties. Despite living in a highly interconnected world, people feel increasingly estranged from their jobs, bodies, and surroundings. Craft, as many have already discovered, can be a powerful antidote. After all, what could be more grounding, more reassuringly real, than feeling a material between your fingers and turning it into something useful?”

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I hoped it would be! I loved all the ways the stories and examples in this book brushed up against my own life and experiences; that special magic of the right book at the right time, fitting up closely and moving with your thoughts. Just a very good experience!

I especially appreciated that whilst a very emotional book in places, Fox works hard not to become pityingly nostalgic or elegiac. Yes, it's sad if we lose the skills and knowledge and memory of an endangered heritage craft, and it's glorious when one can be saved from the brink, but you also can't keep a craft alive on sentiment alone - it needs to support a life, provide a livelihood, to keep its people going. I've felt the same way visiting the mills and potteries and breweries around where I grew up - yeah, it's sad we've lost (and are still losing) so much of these heritage industries, but it's also pretty nice to send our kids to school, and keep our fingers free of dangerous machinery, and have weekends off!

Anyway, I need to go and make something with my hands, now.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“After all, what could be more grounding, more reassuringly real, than feeling a material between your fingers and turning it into something useful?”

An engaging and eye-opening read, beautifully written with stories from craftspeople told as we travel through Britain.

I picked up this book after seeing it on display at Waterstones, thinking there would be more focus on the textile industry. In reality it touched on it only briefly, however it didn’t disappoint and instead opened my mind up to different meanings of the word ‘Craft’ - seeing it through the eyes of skilled craftsmen who do it for their livelihood instead of myself and most others who craft for leisure.

I didn’t think I’d ever find myself being interested in dry stone walling or watch-making, but each chapter was fascinating and I enjoyed learning about crafts that I’d never put much/any thought into (e.g. how a bell, a cask or leather is made).

It gave me a deeper appreciation of my surroundings and its history, as well as the effort and time that has gone into shaping it. I smiled throughout the last 2 chapters where we visit the city I spent 3 years in at university to learn about the steel industry, and then in the final chapter, speaking to a Sofer (a Jewish scribe) on the very high street I grew up on, showing that craftsmanship really is everywhere you look.

"Most of the world’s problems have been caused by obsession with speed, growth, profit and productivity. Maybe it’s time to realise that progress isn’t actually progress" - Jof Hicks

It left me feeling slightly sad, questioning how we can still make space for these dying crafts in a world where efficiency and mass production are prioritised, but it also serves as a small reminder to shop locally and sustainably, or even handmade, and to look after what we have instead of viewing them as disposable.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively and engaging exploration of some of the UK's vanishing traditional crafts, told through the stories of some of the people (and places) keeping these trades alive. Fox has a personable style, and while he is only able to give a brief overview of a selected few crafts, his obvious passion for his project shines through and makes you want to find out more. The illustrations also help bring some of the more obscure terminology to life.

Part art and social history and part travelogue, Craftland is an enjoyable read.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little gem of a book. A fascinating journey into the trades of dry stone walling and watchmaking to name but a few. So sad that nowadays we just buy and sell coffee to each other.

[Debby Binns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the abridged version of this on Radio 4. James Fox visits a selection of craftspeople across the British Isles in selected industries that are fading or threatened, with very few practitioners. What I found so encouraging is that as we move to a more green economy, craft can become an industry for the future.

[Kate M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book about crafts & how they tie us to whenua !!! And epic in the UK context. Such a cool read and felt really inspired & cool to hear people share their stories about how they live in active reciprocal relationship w the land and actually everything is better off for it !! Awesome stuff

[Francis Pellow]

very interesting book of the week on radio 4. too abridged to give a star rating.

[Donna Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read about the vanishing skills and traditions that used to dominate the country. We used to be a nation of workshops and studios,masters and apprentices;a society grounded in making things by hand .Can we get back to the skills we used to have?!

[Nikko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly good and beautifully written book.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mixed feelings on this one. It is best when it is really focused on describing the various crafts and the people who engage with them. And there is an impressive amount of effort that certainly went into finding and interviewing all of the people whose stories are highlighted in this book. But a lot of what the author writes about the broader context of these crafts has issues in my opinion.

For one, there is an air of grievance to how he writes about the social changes that have led to the decline of crafts in Britain, ignoring the equal if not greater damage to traditional craft ways in other parts of the world as a result of British/European imperialism, the fact that Britain was at the heart of the industrial revolution that displaced many craft traditions, and that British society as a whole continues to have a disproportionate level of wealth, influence and power as a result of these factors, and a standard of living that far exceeds that of their ancestors as well as many people alive today in other parts of the world. There's also some wonkiness about time and the true traditional depths to some of the highlighted crafts; there's a frequent appeal to the idea that craft traditions are valuable because of how long they have been passed down and refined over time, even when further writing actually undercuts this claim. For example, on the section about dry stone walling, he starts by talking about the neolithic settlers of Britain who used walls to set field boundaries and keep livestock, but then immediately goes on to describe how the vast majority of walls that are now regarded as such a traditional part of the English landscape go back only to the 1700s and a period when the wealthy and powerful were seizing once commonly held land for their own good. And even though the industrial revolution is often brought up as a period of disruption to crafts generally, many of the crafts highlighted in this book really only date back to then, or slightly earlier, from the bodgers turning wooden parts that were just one component of chairs assembled in factories in a proto-assembly-line style, to the numerous specialized trades related to metal in Sheffield. In fact, the introduction waxes poetic about the regional specialisms of the British isle, ignoring the fact that such specialization could only exist in a highly interconnected, market based economy which was already far from the vision presented of every community hosting its own blacksmith, cooper, wheelwright, etc. (regarding blacksmiths in particular, tinkers, itinerant sellers and menders of metal goods, existed exactly because not every locale had a blacksmith).

[Atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Craftland: In Search of Lost Arts and Disappearing Trades
by James Fox

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars)

Thanks to Crown Publishing for the ARC! 🙏📚

Vibe Check: thoughtful 🪵, slow-paced 🚶, beautifully researched 🎨, part travelogue/part history 🌍, bittersweet meditation on vanishing traditions 🕯️.

What I Liked:
• A fascinating catalog of crafts like coopering, basket weaving, thatching, and bellfounding 🧺🔔
• Evokes the charm of rural Britain and its heritage landscapes 🌿🏡
• Blends history with modern observations of artisans still keeping traditions alive 🛠️
• Raises important questions about sustainability and what we lose in the rush toward mass production 🌍
• Reads like a quiet love letter to the art of making things with our hands ✋

What Didn’t Work for Me:
• Pacing is very leisurely, sometimes meandering 🐌
• Could feel a little repetitive in its structure (craft → artisan → reflection) 🔄
• More descriptive than analytical—sometimes I wanted deeper exploration of the “why” behind these crafts fading 🕵️
• Not always emotionally gripping; more of a contemplative wander than a narrative drive 🌫️

Tropes/Elements:
• Disappearing traditions ⏳
• Travel + history hybrid 🚂
• Crafts as cultural memory 🪡
• Quiet sustainability themes 🌱

Final Word: Craftland is equal parts travelogue and elegy for the handmade. It won’t be for everyone—it’s slow and reflective rather than dramatic—but if you’re drawn to history, heritage, or the romance of lost skills, it’s a gentle and thoughtful read that might spark a new appreciation for what we’re losing in a mass-produced world.

[Angus Murchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Despite meeting the author at a book signing at my local independent book shop (kudos to Book in Leighton Buzzard) and finding him an extremely engaging and entertaining speaker, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy his book.

Generally speaking I’m not that keen on craft works, as seen at fairs and markets etc. where they often seem, to me, like bits of tat - or dust collectors- which I’d never want to own.

However, this book is an absolute revelation across a whole range of businesses with wonderful detail about the history behind them, the people who are keeping them alive today - sometimes only just - the skill and training needed to master the craft, the engineering know how behind many of them and often the sheer instinct required which can only be gained by years of experience such that even the practitioners themselves can’t really explain how they do it - somehow they just know.

A really fascinating read for anyone who admires skill and dedication (and probably enjoys doing DIY and solving practical problems).

The skills covered include:-

Dry Stone Walling
Highland Thatching
Woodland Crafts (chair making, coppicing, pole-lathe turning)
Rush Weaving
Tanning
Wheelwrighting
Fishing Crafts (withy pots)
Bell-Founding
Lettercutting
Watchmaking
Coopering
Tool-making (scissors, wood turning, throwing axes)
Urban Crafts (scribing, West African instrument making, pottery)
Quilt making

[Perry Wakeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rarely come across a book that has resonated with me quite as deeply as this one.

My own work is maturing cheese, a slightly odd occupation perhaps, but one rooted in craft, patience, failure, repetition, and people. Reading this book, I found myself nodding along far more than I expected. The challenges, doubts, and quiet moments of pride described here feel familiar to anyone who makes something by hand, whatever the discipline.

When I talk about cheese, I often speak about people and heritage. About why things are made the way they are, where they come from, and who is still making them today. What this book made me realise is how rarely I look beyond my own industry. This opened my eyes to the wider world of making and craft, and reminded me how connected all of it really is.

It has changed the way I look at objects and places. I now find myself asking why something exists, how it came to be, whether it has always been made that way, and who is still carrying that knowledge forward. Those small questions are powerful, and this book encourages you to keep asking them.

The writing is thoughtful, calm, and genuinely inspiring. I am very glad it caught my eye in a bookshop. It will stay with me for a long time

[Granny Swithins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at British traditional crafts, how many have been lost and those that have just about managed to survive (although many are still endangered.) Fox travels around the country to meet and interview the remaining practitioners, and it's these pen portraits that bring the book to life, the personalities and life stories that mean it's not just a theoretical, intellectual appraisal. It would be easy for the book to be depressing, the numbers involved are staggering - how many people used to make a living in this way (and how many crafts/trades were concentrated in particular geographical areas), and how steep the decline has been. Fox's appreciation of the crafts people he meets, and enthusiasm for the subject, means that the commentary doesn't descend into despair. It's infuriating that the Government really doesn't care about our traditional heritage, that these trades aren't protected and encouraged with apprenticeships, especially as I suspect that if we want to avoid environmental collapse, we need to abandon the mass production of shoddy goods and return to a slower, more handmade way of life.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been slowly trying to convince more of my friends to read this since I finished it in the fall, so figured I should drop a review to try to nudge a few more people towards it.

This is the ideal book for fiction readers trying to read more non-fiction. Each chapter introduces you to a unique craft, and place in which it is/was practiced. Even better, you meet a current practitioner and are treated to a short biography of what led these people down this fascinating path to become one of the UK's only watchmakers, or dry stone masons, or coopers, or rush weavers, or bell-makers. There is not one character in this book that I would not want to have a beer and a long chat with, and Fox does an excellent job painting them with enough detail to make them alluring.

If a book about the history of craft in the UK sounds very boring to you, I forgive you, but promise this isn't: it's a travelogue, it's a series of biographical vignettes of some very interesting people, it's a eulogy for things we've lost and things we are slowly losing. It's relevant and it's important and it will make you think differently about our modern age. It's also a lot of fun. Do read!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book, so interesting. A journey around the British Isles extolling people who are working in traditional crafts, dry stonewalling, thatching, watch making, and many more. Visiting sometimes the last craftsperson or the last place where these traditional skills and businesses survive, James Fox, writes passionately the need to encourage these people, skills and practices in our ever increasing alienated world.
These crafts are not hobbies they are businesses, the businesses which were some of the foundations of life in these Isles for centuries and which need to be encouraged, nutured and appreciated before we lose them forever.
As one craftsperson described herself, she was "a maker". And that's what humans have always done and there is joy in making, building skill and expertise to make something that will last and be cherished by generations.
I hope this book inspires not only individuals but our government to support these "living national treasures".

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting anthology of long last trades in Britain, from roof thatching to wheelwrighters to bellfounders to scissor makers and beyond. Each chapter is relatively short, making this one of those books that are easy to stop and pick up again. My major gripe is that Fox’s prose lurches somewhat unpredictably from the straightforward nonfiction narration (for his descriptions of craftspeople and historical context) to that of an overwritten D&D recap (for his first person perspectives). Very occasionally, it stretches into the inspired. Second minor criticism would be the structure of his chapters always seem to end the same way — about how things are generally now changing for the better with some niche revivalist movement. All in all, still a worthwhile read. 3.5 stars

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book explores the U.K. through its crafts, both historic and modern. One of the most fun aspects is viewing areas one knows well (Sheffield where I grew up, the Chilterns where I live now, Bedfordshire where my grandparents lived) through the eyes of its industries, the trades of its past and the crafts of its present.

James Fox has met and interviewed some fascinating people whilst researching this book, from dry stone wallers to watch makers and engravers. Their personal stories as well as the detailed descriptions of their work were intriguing. Fox writes beautifully so the book is a pleasure to read.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traditional crafts matter.

What an amazing book dedicated to the history and shining a light on the world of craftsmanship in Britain! I'm currently studying for my Life in the UK exam and this even felt like a great addition to my learning journey. I learned about crafts and trades I'd never heard of before and loved getting a peek into the lives of those who continue their art.

Highly recommended for those interested in British history with a bit of a travelogue mixed in. Thank you Random House UK, Vintage for the copy.