English Village Arts 
the name of 
Charles G. 
Leland regu¬ 
larly appeared 
on the ad¬ 
ministrative 
council. 
For nine¬ 
teen years the 
Association 
has held an¬ 
nual exhibi¬ 
tions in Lon¬ 
don of the 
work done 
in country 
districts 
throughout 
the British 
Islands. This 
has been done 
so that public 
interest might 
be aroused on 
the subject of home arts, and to give oppor¬ 
tunities for the sale of the work produced. 
Certificates of merit, and medals have also 
been annually awarded as encouragement for 
good work. The accompanying illustrations 
are from articles exhibited at the last exhibi¬ 
tion of the Association in May of this year. 
It has sometimes been the case that the 
revival of an old industry practiced in a 
district years before has naturally followed 
on the attempt to form new classes for vil¬ 
lage arts. 
Enthusiasts have seized upon the materi¬ 
als closest at hand, commencing with a sub¬ 
ject which would most 
likely appeal to their 
particular village, and 
drawing upon what¬ 
ever available local 
talent there might be. 
The revival of the 
spinning and weaving 
industry at Langdale 
in the English Lake 
District, for instance, 
tells the tale of an 
old, half forgotten art 
brought to light and 
resuscitated in the 
same dales 
and valleys in 
which it was 
carried on a 
centu ry be- 
fore. John 
Ruskin’s ex¬ 
hortations 
roused the 
interest of 
thousands in 
hand work 
throughout 
the country, 
and his elo¬ 
quence caused 
many village 
crafts to be 
taken up 
again and 
pursued. 
Grouped 
round the 
neighborhood 
of Coniston are numerous little thriving 
industries which owe their inception to his 
magic touch. 
It has always been, of course, a matter of 
principle that no machinery must enter into 
the production of articles by village crafts¬ 
men. Speed of production matters not one 
jot ; but thoroughness is everything. In 
the same way, artistic merit has appeared 
when craftsmanship has been mastered. To 
make useful things has been the first and 
most vital point; to beautify them after¬ 
wards an added grace to make them perfect. 
The beautiful cushion from Langdale is 
“della robbia” pottery 
Designed by Harold Rathbone , Birkenhead 
PEWTER SCREEN AND FERN TROUGH 
Designed by Walter Witter , Ickleford , Herts 
64 
