The Crafts Study Centre is an internationally acclaimed museum of 20th and 21st century British craft, specialising in the fields of ceramics, textiles, calligraphy and lettering, and furniture and wood. The object collections are accompanied by archives such as diaries, correspondence, photographs, catalogues and working notes from craftspeople and crafts organisations. Works by influential historic figures such as Bernard Leach, Ethel Mairet, Edward Johnston and Ernest Gimson sit alongside works by contemporary makers such as Alison Britton, Makeba Lewis and Gaynor Goffe.
The Centre hosts one exhibition of work from its own collections and several exhibitions of work by leading artist-makers each year. It has an active programme of artists’ talks, lectures and other events, and fosters scholarship and writing about modern and contemporary craft. The Centre also houses an extensive library of books and periodicals relating to the crafts.