The West Gallery Music Workshop will be led by members of Bristol Harmony West Gallery Quire. This year, due to restoration work going on at the barn, it will be held in St Michael’s Church next door.

West Gallery music is the type of music sung in churches during the C18 and early C19, led by the village choir and the village band. Thomas Hardy, himself a fiddle player, wrote about the old choirs in a number of his books, notably Under the Greenwood Tree. You can find extracts on the West Gallery Music Association website (www.wgma.org.uk), along with a mine of information about this type of music.

Above all, this music is FUN! It was such fun that the Victorians strongly disapproved and threw out the choirs and bands in favour of barrel organs, or pipe organs and robed choirs, producing the sort of church music which many of us grew up with.

If you like singing, do come along and join in; the music is accessible to all and you can learn by ear or read the music. The music is sung in four parts, so whatever your voice range, there is a part for you.

Instrumentalists are also welcome – strings and woodwind are suitable, but not brass instruments or guitars. If in doubt, please ask. Instrumentalists please bring a music stand if you have one; a clip-on light could be useful.

Music will be supplied in hard copy on the day but can be emailed if you would like to look at it beforehand.

Tea and coffee will be available from 10am ready for a start at 10:30am prompt.

This year very little parking will be available on site, so please park carefully and considerately in Church Lane.

Booking a place – book online via ticketsource or contact us to arrange payment by cheque. As long as we have enough people who have booked by 6 July we may be able to take late bookings after that date.

Cost: £16:50 in advance, payable on booking (cheques to WMBT please), which includes tea, coffee and biscuits; please bring a packed lunch. There will be a small additional charge for the music, payable on the day.

This workshop is now sold out! Another session has been added for the afternoon. See here for more details.

Make fused glass jewellery with the stunning colours of dichroic glass in this 2 hour workshop run by Sarah Aumayer of Mydsomer Studio Fused Glass.

After an introduction to fused glass and explanation of the workshop you’ll have a fun & relaxing time picking through the trays of colours to choose your unique combination of colour and design. Sarah provides pre-cut shapes of decorative dichroic glass which have a thin multi-layer coating that provides beautiful colours often displaying more than one colour in a single piece.

This 2 hour workshop offers flexibility in cost to make unique pendants and/or brooches. The basic workshop cost is £20 and includes one pendant or brooch. Additional items cost £8 each payable on the day (card or cash). Within the 2 hours you can make as many items as you wish. Some people will create items quickly, others will take their time – it's up to you. Make something for yourself and/or lovely, personal presents for family & friends (ideal for birthdays!).

At the end of the workshop Sarah will take your items away to fire the glass in her kiln and to finish them as pendants or brooches. Your items will then be returned to The Medieval Barn within 2 weeks for you to collect, we can arrange . The photo shows typical items that might be produced in a workshop.

Why not take part with a friend or family member?

In this hands on workshop, we’ll learn how to make our own cameras out of things you might find around the house. Once everyone has created their cameras, we’ll load them up with some light sensitive paper before going out to capture our images which we’ll then develop in our pop-up Cartshed darkroom.

Jasmine, our community engagement officer, will be leading this workshop. She has been facilitating arts and heritage workshops with young people for the last eight years.

Suitable for ages 10+

Please note we will use some chemicals in the development process which makes this workshop not suitable to those who are pregnant.

Cost: £5 per person

Join Fi Harris from FELTbyFI for a beginners wet-felting workshop. In this session you will learn to create both a wet-felt picture, and a 3D container.

60 minutes – Introduction and create a picture

15minutes – Break

90 minutes – Create a 3D container and plenary

 

All materials and tuition included. £25 per person.

Participants to bring a hand towel and tea towel - will only get wet, not ruined.

 

Participants will leave with

• New/Invigorated skills
• Two unique, self-made, wet-felted creations
• ‘How to’ information sheet
• Suppliers details
• 20% discount voucher for future workshop (transferable)

 

Coming from a family line of dressmakers, including for the Swedish Royal Court, Fi was always destined to create. Successful dressmaking ventures have included made to measure pure silk underwear and lycra workout wear in the 90’s.

Crafting activities have been varied but on discovering the wonderful world of merino wool and felting, she was hooked!

Join Fi to be inspired and create your own unique hand-crafted makes.

Fi also runs monthly ‘learn to felt’ workshops in North Somerset. Offering the chance to design & create your own amazing artwork in a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere.

To Book: Contact Fi Harris via Facebook FELTbyFi or email feltbyfi@gmail.com

Local florists from Organic Blooms at Latteridge will share their expertise at this workshop to help you produce a fabulous wreath full of seasonal colours and foliage that will last throughout the holiday season.

Cost £45.00 in advance.