Field correspondent
Hal Denby
Cheshire
Hal walks to most of his stories. He has covered salt roads, lighthouses, forges and the last working thatchers, usually in the rain.
Their writing
Field notes
Walking the old salt roads
Before canals and railways, salt left Cheshire on the backs of packhorses. Their roads are still there if you know which hedges to follow.
Hal Denby
Craft
Sharpening like a Victorian joiner
A Victorian apprentice spent his first month sharpening other men’s tools. Here is the routine he learned, and why it still works on a Sunday.
Hal Denby
Conversations
The last apprentice at the forge
At nineteen, Rory Tanner is the only apprentice at a village forge that has been working since 1780. He talks hammers, hands and the waiting list.
Hal Denby
Their first piece is on its way.
¶ The masthead
Written by hand
Six regular writers and one illustrator, most of whom still make the things they write about.
¶ The five categories
Five ways in
Every post belongs to one of five categories, and each has its own coat of arms. Pick a shield and read everything under it.
Essays
Azure, a chevron Or
Long arguments for slow, well-made things.
Chronicles
Gules, a bend Or
History, told through the hands that made it.
Craft
Or, a fess Sable
Step by step: ink, gold, wood, iron and bread.
Field notes
Vert, a pale Or
Walks, workshops and the places still working.
Conversations
Purpure, a saltire Or
Long interviews with people who make things.
¶ The Thursday letter
One letter, every Thursday.
The week’s long read, one thing worth making, and a note from the margins. Free, no tracking pixels, and you can leave in one click.
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