The Hart Dynasty 1908 - 2008 Centenary Exhibition at Chipping Campden

Submitted by tony on Sat, 04/10/2008 - 05:50

Saturday 4th October - Saturday 11th October 2008 - The Town Hall, Market Square, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6AN
A significant exhibition of fine silver, covering a century of Guild of Handicraft work by the Hart dynasty, a guild of silversmiths working in the North Cotswolds in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire.

On view will be an unique selection of the Hart's work, drawn from private and public collections including abbeys, cathedrals, livery companies and museums.

Silversmiths will be manning a workbench at the Exhibition and will making silver objects before your very eyes.

The craftmanship evident in the pieces of gold, silver, bronze and, these days, jewellery, which they create is, in many ways, timeless;but these precious objects could scarcely be made by hands which did not have a century of experience behind them.

George Hart was a silversmith with C.R.Ashbee's Guild of Handicraft when it moved to Chipping Campden in 1902 from London. From 1908 he took on the running of the workshop, joined in 1930 by his son Henry. His grandson David Hart along with Derek Elliott, and William and Julian Hart now carry on this high tradition.

The Exhibition will co-incide with the launch of a book telling the history of the four generations of the Hart family of silversmiths-"The Harts of Chipping Campden" - by Richard Russell. "The Hart's workshop in Chipping Campden , the sole survivor of C. R. Ashbee's Arts and Crafts Guild of Handicraft, evokes visions of its century-old origins so strongly that the casual visitor may think he has arrived in a museum. But the truth is that the eyes of the third and fourth generations of the Hart family, who now practice their craft here, are very firmly set on the future.

The craftsmanship evident in the pieces of gold, silver, bronze and, these days, jewellery, which they create is, in many ways, timeless; but these precious objects could scarcely be made by hands which did not have a century of experience behind them."

This book is a celebration of that hundred years experience as well as a glimpse into the future. With plenty of detailed history of the family and the business the book will appeal to anyone who would like an insight into the creation of silverware with a reputation.
Hardcover. 112 pages. 245 x 155mm ISBN 978-0-9554217-4-7 £17.50