This course begins on Saturday morning and follows the standard content and sequence. Residential students only need to stay overnight on Saturday, as the schedule has been adjusted to finish later on Sunday with an extended afternoon session.

Explore a variety of decorative garden metalwork elements in fabricated and forged metal.

From a basis of imagery and observation, a variety of metalwork and forging techniques are demonstrated by the tutor throughout the course, followed by student practice and application.

Techniques and possibilitiess are demonstrated and shown by example, enabling you to explore and evolve individual elements as the course progresses, leading towards a finished piece.

You may bring ideas or evolve your own piece or project to work on, subject to discussion regarding the parameters of practicality, skills and timescale with the tutor at the start of the course. Alternatively, the tutor will be able to suggest specific objects such as hanging basket brackets, small, simple garden arch or garden sculpture element and guide through demonstration and practice.

Direct shaping techniques will be demonstrated such as spiralling, twisting, tapering, curving and bending, texturing, using different methods and tools to cut, form, shape, forge and manipulate the material, using different heats to develop shape and cross section.

By the end of the course you should feel more confident with understading and recognising how these metal techniques may be applied. You should be able to confidently undertake further explorations of this fascinating and rewarding area of metalwork.

Included

On this course, the College will supply all of the materials required to make the project agreed with the tutor to make on the course, including all fuel costs and metal that is stocked by the College.

Leather aprons, welding gauntlets, goggles, welding helmets and ear defenders can be borrowed from the Forge.

What students need to bring

You will need to wear clothing suitable for workshop use, together with steel toe capped boots. Please note that cotton or wool clothing is preferable to nylon or other synthetics. Shorts do not provide necessary protection. For your safety, it is mandatory to wear steel toe capped safety boots when undertaking a course in the Forge. You must provide your own footwear and bring them with you to wear on the course. If you fail to bring suitable footwear, you will not be able to take part in the course. Safety boots can be purchased from most tool hire shops and builders’ merchants as well as online.

You must wear goggles (provided) and suitable protective clothing for this course. Leather aprons, welding gauntlets, goggles, welding helmets and ear defenders can be borrowed from the Forge or you can bring them along if you have them. If, for example, you have particularly large or small hands, your own leather work gloves are likely to be a better fit.

Available to buy

Available from shop:

• Sketchbook
• Pencils
• Rubber

Additional information

Please note: This course will be in the Forge, which is a 10-minute walk from the main house through the walled garden, or can be accessed by car. As this course is held in the Forge, morning coffee and afternoon tea will be held in the nearby Carrington Studio. You will return to the main house for lunch.

Please note that tutor supervision is always required when you are working in the Forge.

Saturday
Student registration: 9.45am  
Course teaching: 10am-5pm  
Morning session: 10am-1pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 1pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm  

Sunday
Course teaching: 9am-4pm  
Morning session: 9am-1pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 1pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 4pm  

Terms & Conditions