Tour: From the Ruskin Collection to Freeman College

In this special tour with Joe Tyssen, you’ll hear about how Ruskin’s ethos of working with the hand, head and heart informs the Practical Skills Therapeutic Education at Freeman College.

The tour will start with the objects on display in the Ruskin Collection, Millennium Gallery that have been forged by students at Freeman College, before walking down to the college together to see the metalwork workshop.

The college is located in the Sterling Works, which was previously occupied by CW Fletcher and Sons who manufactured silver cutlery, tableware and trophies. Today, students learn traditional methods to hand forge spoons, forks and knives using copper at first before progressing to work with silver.

Freeman College is part of Ruskin Mill Trust, a nationwide charitable organisation of schools and colleges that provides craft-based education for children and young adults with special educational needs. Ruskin Mill Trust is inspired by the work of John Ruskin and William Morris.

Image © Freeman College