Stonemasonry
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Stonemasons working in heritage conservation shape, cut, and fix natural stone using techniques passed down over centuries - from repairing Gothic cathedral facades to restoring country house balustrades.
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Heritage Craft Skills
Nine traditional building crafts that have shaped Britain's historic environment for centuries. Each one is a living skill - and each one needs the next generation of practitioners.
Module 1 of every track is freely available, no account required.
On completion, you earn the CraftGate Foundation Award.
Lime Plastering
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Lime is the universal binding material of Britain's historic buildings. Conservation plasterers applying traditional lime systems are actively reversing the damage caused when cement replaced lime in the twentieth century.
Heritage Roofing
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Heritage roofing encompasses natural slate, stone slate, clay tile, lead and hard metal roofing, and thatching - each with its own techniques, qualifications and regional traditions.
Heritage Timber & Joinery
6 modules · ~4h 45m
From the great oak-framed guildhalls of Suffolk to the sash windows of Georgian terraces - heritage timber and joinery encompasses bench joinery and structural timber framing.
Stained Glass Conservation
6 modules · ~4h 45m
One of the most visually extraordinary and technically demanding heritage crafts - spanning glass cutting and painting, leading and soldering, historical research and on-site installation.
Dry Stone Walling
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Dry stone walling uses no mortar - structures rely entirely on careful stone selection and placement. UNESCO inscribed the craft on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2018.
Cob Building
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Cob - a mixture of subsoil, straw and water - has sheltered people for thousands of years. Fully biodegradable, zero embodied carbon, locally sourced, naturally insulating.
Heritage Brickwork
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Heritage brickwork demands lime mortars, carefully matched handmade or reclaimed bricks, and an understanding of how historic structures breathe and move. Gauged brickwork is classified as endangered.
Blacksmithing & Heritage Metalwork
6 modules · ~4h 45m
Fire, metal, hammer, anvil - heritage blacksmiths repair and recreate the ironwork that holds historic buildings together, from cathedral screens to farmhouse gate hinges.
Coming to CraftGate
Four further tracks are in development. Each meets the heritage-buildings filter, has severe practitioner shortages, and has confirmed repeating demand. Content and host network are being developed now.
Millwrighting
In development
Restoring and maintaining watermills and windmills - one of the most critically endangered heritage crafts in the UK.
Coming soon
Regional Thatching Specialisms
In development
Welsh Vernacular and Highlands & Islands thatching - distinct traditions with techniques and materials specific to their landscape.
Coming soon
Encaustic Tile Making
In development
Hand-made decorative floor tiles in the Victorian and Arts-and-Crafts tradition, essential for ecclesiastical and public-building restoration.
Coming soon
Gauged Brickwork
In development
A highly skilled technique where bricks are individually rubbed to precise dimensions. Promoted from a Heritage Brickwork sub-discipline to its own track.
Coming soon