THE MARCHMONT SILVERSMITHING WORKSHOP

 ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust (SGT) in partnership with Marchmont Makers Foundation launched The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop on the 25th of March 2023, a brand new fully equipped workspace for silversmiths in the Scottish Borders.  

The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop profiles silversmithing as an important part of Scotland’s craft heritage and actively supports its future. The ethos at Marchmont is in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement, inspired by the natural world. The addition of the silversmithing workshop alongside other traditional crafts based there will further enrich the cultural profile of the area and be a welcome addition to the other creative spaces on the estate.  

The workshop provides opportunities for three early career silversmiths to develop their businesses over a two-year tenancy, and a fourth tenancy for an experienced and established Silversmith.  The fifth bench in the workshop is dedicated for our short-term one-week to one-month residencies, enabling silversmiths across the UK and internationally to develop new work and welcome knowledge and cultural exchange. 

The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop offers a unique experience for visiting silversmiths on residencies with beautiful bespoke accommodation on site. The SGT welcomes collaboration from individuals and organisations that may wish to support a funded residency, with the additional option to include a silverware commission for their collection.  

The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop forms part of The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s charitable objectives to champion the education, art and craft of Scotland’s gold and silversmithing sector. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

In 2020, The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust was generously gifted the entire contents of late Master Silversmith Graham Stewart’s workshop, including the tools, machinery and books he collected throughout his career and used daily. It was Graham’s wish, and the wish of his family, that these continue to be used to support early career silversmiths in Scotland. 

Access to tools and a fully equipped workshop is one of the major challenges facing early career silversmiths. The workshop at Marchmont is kitted out with a vast array of tools and equipment, including a huge variety of stakes, hammers, lathe, fly press, drills, engraving tools, vices and much more that have been gifted to The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust. 

The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop is a partnership project between The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust and Marchmont Makers Foundation. We would like to thank the late Hugo Burge, Director of Marchmont Ventures, for his vision to make Marchmont a home for makers and creators and the Foundations ongoing commitment to the project. It was a great pleasure for the SGT to work with Hugo on the development of this project, and to celebrate its launch together at At Home with Silver in spring 2023. The legacies of Hugo and Graham continue to grow at Marchmont.  

We would like to thank key supporters, The William Grant Foundation and the Marchmont Makers Foundation as well as our three bench sponsors. Our thanks extends to the family of the late Graham Stewart, and our silversmithing consultants for the development of the workshop: Rod Kelly, Brett Payne, Bryony Knox and John Andrew. 

THE MARCHMONT SILVERSMITHING WORKSHOP TENANTS