Lectures
Stuart King has been researching woodcraft skills all his adult life and has amassed a unique collection of crafts pieces with which he illustrates a number of lectures. He has lectured around the world on traditional subjects.
The presentations are humourous and benefit from practical knowledge of his subjects. The lectures are enhanced using good quality slides and artefacts. At seminars or exhibitions, lectures can be combined with demonstrations of rural crafts.
History of the English Windsor Chair
From the Buckinghamshire bodgers in the Beech forest to the chair masters of High Wycombe, the story of the Windsor chair is traced using rare archive pictures (on slide) and illustrated by Stuart’s collection of miniature chairs.
The English Romanies & their Crafts
The English Romanies (gypsys) left India 1,000 years ago and arrived in England 500 years later. To most people they remain a mystery. In this illustrated lecture Stuart covers Romany history and traditions using old artefacts and archive photographs (on slide) and recent images of modern day gypsies.
English Woodland Crafts
An illustrated presentation covering the diverse traditional uses of coppice and green wood. From chair bodgers to besom brooms, hayrakes to gypsy pegs, willow work and much more.
Gypsies of Eastern Europe & their Crafts
This illustrated lecture is strong on Romanian gypsys but also covers those of Hungary and Bulgaria. This and the lecture about the English Romanies can be combined for a single occasion.
Echoes of Old Village Life
Archive and modern photographs illustrate the life, times and changes of a small Buckinghamshire hilltop village. This is a humourous presentation with a few light-hearted readings.
