Suitable for those aged 16 and over

Join Dr James Dilley, an experimental archaeologist and craftsman, to cast your own Bronze Age axe and learn more about how they were used.

Date: Thursday 10th September 2026
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Enys Gardens, St Gluvius, Penryn, TR10 9LB – What3Words: ///diplomat.ooze.quite

Price: £130 per person

Discover how some of the earliest metal tools were produced in prehistoric Britain. Just over 4000 years ago, people started to make the first axes from copper into simple flat, triangular shapes from an opencast mould. Soon after, people started adding tin to make bronze which was harder and easier to cast.

Suitable for those aged 16 and over, this workshop will offer you the chance to hone your skills in this 4000-year-old craft and create a replica Bronze Age axe to take home.

During the workshop, attendees can choose from a selection of different axes types to cast including:

The flaring blade of the flanged axe – This is an iconic tool from prehistory and appears as both artefacts and in rock art at Stonehenge. Their tools were often highly decorated, suggesting a close relationship with their owners.

A middle Bronze Age palstave axe – These axes were developed from the earlier “flanged axe” which lacked high ridges, a haft stopper and a loop. Metallurgy analysis shows Welsh copper can be found in over 90% of the early palstave axes found around NW Europe.

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 axe to take home at the end of the day. Students can then begin filing off the casting flash, start cleaning the surfaces of the axe and even begin decorating it with punches.

The day will also include a brief talk about the Bronze Age and axe development.

Dr James Dilley from Ancient Craft will lead this small group workshop with just 8 participants. Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.  

Refreshments will be provided, but please bring your own lunch.

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

About Dr James Dilley

Dr James Dilley is an experimental archaeologist and craftsman, specialising in prehistoric technologies. He founded AncientCraft in 2009 and since then he has gained a PhD in Archaeology at the University of Southampton and has worked with numerous museums, schools and heritage sites. His work is displayed at The British Museum and Stonehenge and he has worked with several high profile media companies such as the BBC, National Geographic, New Scientist and Dorling Kindersley Publishing. More information about him can be found here www.ancientcraft.co.uk/james-dilley