Adrian Lloyd

Hello and welcome – thanks for dropping in. My name is Adrian Lloyd although those that know me well find that Ade is what I answer to best. I am a full-time designer, maker and teacher and am passionate about traditional handcrafts. I live and work in North West Cumbria in a tiny farming hamlet nestled mid-way between the northernmost edge of the Lake District National Park and the Solway Coast. Most of my making and teaching takes place in an original threshing barn, one of several historic outbuildings, which, along with our 300-year-old farmhouse, surround a cobbled courtyard. I specialise in creating beautiful, functional, traditional hand-crafted items from green wood (that is wood that looks like a freshly felled tree and still contains all of its moisture) using traditional methods and razor-sharp hand tools like axes and knives. My craft is for everyday use in the kitchen and around the home, it is designed to be used hard and for a long time, hopefully by generations of the same family. I developed my passion for handcraft from a very young age and thrive when being able to ignite a new passion for creativity in others. After a design-based university education, I then spent nearly the next twenty years teaching children and adults in both formal and informal education settings, indoors and out. However, I then took the decision to pursue craft on a full-time basis and now earn my living from all things Slöjd! I have been carving on and off for the best part of probably thirty years and have added turning, furniture making, basket weaving and anything else green wood along the way. I also do some blacksmithing, bladesmithing and tool making and make all of my own bowl turning tools. I can normally be found somewhere along or between the length and breadth of this great island teaching some aspect of this wonderful craft we call greenwood, or holed up bothering some wood in my farmhouse workshop in Cumbria. I try to use only locally sourced British hardwoods in my craft that are harvested from either wind-blown trees or from sustainably managed woodland as part of a natural thinning and woodland regeneration process. I have favourite woods for specific purposes but will generally use any wood that is suitable for the function and form of the piece being worked on. I have a real interest in the way our relationships with the natural environment develop and have studied for qualifications in bushcraft leadership, practical ethnobotany and plant identification, wildlife identification and tracking and woodland management, including the identification and management of veteran trees. I draw on this knowledge and experience to ensure my teaching provides rich, holistic and rewarding learning opportunities. If you are looking for a piece of traditional craft work that will last for many years to come and want something that you can enjoy using every day then you have come to the right place. I update products on a regular basis – although sell out quickly, so if you sign up for my mailing list you’ll often get early notification of updates and are less likely to miss out!