It’s on again. The wonderful Lost Trades Fair, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March 2016 at Kyneton Racecourse: 10am – 4pm
Here’s what I had to say about it last year…
Given the huge crowds attending the Lost Trades Fair over the Labour Day weekend, perhaps some of the wonderful trades on display aren’t really lost at all. More hiding their lights under a bushel – or a bushy beard.
While I presume having a beard was not a necessary pre-requisite (and there were one or two women stall-holders – definitely beardless) there was a definitely a bristle of beards about. More collective nouns for beards here. Just saying.
Saddle makers, scythe makers, furniture makers, jewellers, armourers, blacksmiths, boat builders, musical instrument makers (and players), carvers, builders, sewers, spinners, fletchers, hedgers, printers and cobblers.
I’ve barely skimmed the surface but suffice to say there were all kinds of makers and craftspeople at this year’s Lost Trades Fair, held in Kyneton, Victoria. And yes, the men were out in force. Forget the quilts and jams and cakes and embroidery (are none of those ‘trades’?) This time it was definitely the men’s turn, where they were free to ogle a wooden kayak (yes of course it was handbuilt) or dream of attending a knife-making course or consider spending 100 hours making a bamboo fishing rod.
A certain policeman of my acquaintance loved the Fair, but did idly wonder why the so-called oldest trade of all was not represented. He felt it might be a very popular stall…
It wasn’t just the sights that were interesting. The smells included scrumptious food stalls (all of the gourmet variety); the hint of fresh timber; and the tang of burning hoof (a farrier was there, hot-shoeing some patient ponies). The sounds were similarly amazing: hatchet into timber (the wooden spoon-maker); music (live folk bands); the steady thump of steam-driven machines; beautiful bells; the ring of hammer on iron; makers spruiking their craft; and everywhere the buzz of fascinated people.
The event was beautifully organised by local couple (and artisans) Glen and Lisa Rundell. My kids thought the coconut shy was an absolute highlight (a fundraiser for the local cricket club).
I was moved to think about how much longer everything takes when you are doing it by hand, but how much more time you might have for thinking.
If you love the bespoke and handcrafted, if you want to meet makers and traditional artisans, start planning your Victorian road trip. Kyneton is only an hour or so out of Melbourne, and better known destinations like Daylesford and Hanging Rock are very close by. In fact Piper Street, Kyneton is worth a visit at any time.
Tickets available online here.
And stimulating for the senses of writers crafting historical scenes… :-)
Exactly!
Tell your policeman friend he’s very cheeky!
A couple of years ago the National Museum did an exhibition on lost or old crafts/trades. I can’t recollect what they called it but it was a great exhibition. I love going to some of those pioneer villages where “real” practitioners demonstrate these old trades like blacksmithing or leather work or, in the case of a Japanese one, thatching. It’s wonderful that there are people who still want to learn and practise these trades.
As a keen lover of all sorts of crafts, and a sometime practitioner too, I think ‘lost’ is a misnomer (albeit a clever marketing phrase!) All that was lost was media interest – think how knitting somehow was rediscovered once it became cool, even though plenty of (uncool) people had never stopped knitting. But the Lost Trades Fair, like the exhibition you describe, certainly does open the eyes as to what else is out there.
Agree, because clearly they are not lost. Perhaps “Lost-ish” is a better word! But far less catchy and definitely less grammatical.
The trade that my policeman was wondering about could hardly be described as lost, ha ha!
NO, I suppose that’s a good excuse for their not having a stall!! :-)