Ernest Gimson was in many ways the

Ernest Gimson was in many ways the archetypal designer of the Arts and Crafts Movement because of his interest in traditional techniques and materials. As an architectural student in London in the 1880s he studied traditional building crafts and acquired hand skills. He and his friends, Ernest and Sidney Barnsley, left London for the south Cotswolds in 1893 - They wanted to develop their craft skills within the context of a particular area and vernacular tradition. From about 1900 Gimson employed experienced makers and young local apprentices to make furniture, turned ladderback chairs and metalwork. His workshops ensured the survival of craft traditions through the twentieth century and produced high quality work whose influence is still acknowledged by designers and makers.