Somerset is a county in the South West of England, known for its agricultural landscape and the rural lifestyle that comes with this.

Somerset is a county of makers, known for making cider and cheese but this making extends to heritage crafts as well. Heritage crafts thrive in an agricultural landscape because it forces you think about how things are made. There are also traditions of craft that support agriculture and vice versa, such as basket-making, to collect your apples and coopering, for storing your cider.

When we visited Somerset we saw this story laid out for us at the Somerset Museum of Rural Life, where craft was heavily featured in the museum’s exhibitions. We also learnt how they support craftspeople through their shop and public programming. However, when talking with local people working in and around heritage crafts, we found that this support is not formalised, that this craft culture is a result of innovative and forthright individuals creating these opportunities for collaboration. This has inspired us to think more about how heritage can make space for crafts.