Suitable for those aged 16 and over

Join Dr James Dilley, an experimental archaeologist and craftsman, to cast your own sword and learn more about how they were made in the Bronze Age.

Location: Enys Gardens, St Gluvius, Penryn, TR10 9LB – What3Words: ///diplomat.ooze.quite

Price: £250 per person

The first swords in Europe were made of bronze. They are an iconic development in the human story as social pressure led to tension between groups and individuals. Swords were as much a tool of fighting as they were status symbols. During the workshop, participants will cast a replica of a late Bronze Age Ewart Park sword. These were made and used from 3000-2700 BP, and have been found across Britain and occasionally further afield. With many different types of late Bronze Age sword in circulation at this time, the Ewart Park is very much a ‘British’ style.

Workshop students will prepare their own mould, before working the leather bellows on the charcoal fuelled furnace to melt bronze. They will then cast the liquid metal into their prepared moulds to produce a replica bronze age sword to take home at the end of the day. Students can then begin filing off the casting flash and start cleaning the surfaces of the sword.

The workshop also includes a brief talk to contextualise the Bronze Age and swords at the time. Handle-making kits will be available to purchase at the end of the workshop.

This workshop has been part-funded by FEAST Cornwall.

Dr James Dilley from Ancient Craft will lead the workshop. More information about him can be found here www.ancientcraft.co.uk/james-dilley

This event is in aid of Cornwall Heritage Trust – the small, independent charity protecting Cornwall’s heritage for everyone.