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Tag: traditional skills

A person with a cap and jacket, standing outside, holding a large pile of thatching material over their shoulder
Skills

How I became a Scottish thatcher

Tuesday 28 October 2025

Meet Troy Holt to discover how he found his way into thatching, what skills he has learned and why he is passionate about this critically endangered traditional craft skill.

Stone carvings on blonde sandstone of a bundle of wheat tied up in a bunch with a bow
Skills

Sheaves of stone – a new carving for an old steading

Monday 1 September 2025

A meticilous craft and a deep connection with the land. Craft Fellow Jack Handscombe races against nature to carve a wheat sheaf from stone.

A person wearing work overalls standing in a workshop smiling with shelves covered in many tools behind them. They have short, dark hair and are wearing safety googles on top of their head.
Skills

How to forge a career in blacksmithing

Thursday 9 January 2025

If you’re thinking of training as a blacksmith, or know someone that might be interested, read on to hear from our Blacksmithing Craft Fellow, Murray Holmes, based at Ratho Byres Forge.

Two people raising up a wooden, square frame in a grassy area
Behind the Scenes

Preserving trades across the pond: our top 6 takeaways from the International Preservation Trades Workshop

Thursday 5 December 2024

What can we learn from building conservation practices in the USA, and what can they learn from our practices in...

A small, thatched roof hut in the countyside. The hut is made from earth and has a large, rectangular opening for a door.
Skills

Grassroots hutting: an architecture borrowed from the soil

Wednesday 24 January 2024

How can local materials and ancient skills help us with sustainable building practices for the modern age? That's a question we've explored on a recent project to construct a traditional turf hut near Comrie, Perthshire.

Sustainability

“The greenest building is the one that already exists”: How traditional buildings are key to a circular society

Wednesday 20 July 2022

The construction and demolition industry is responsible for huge amounts of waste every year, in the UK accounting for around 60% of material use and waste. Madeleine Clark explores how traditional buildings are part of the solution.

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Thank you

The Engine Shed is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and National Open College Network (NOCN). The Engine Shed was supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to share knowledge of traditional building materials, develop skills and raise standards in conservation for traditional buildings.

  • Heritage Lottery Fund

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