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The Leathersellers

Enabling individuals and communities; fostering opportunity through education; and supporting the leather industry.

15/07/2025

At the top of the Staircase of Leathersellers’ Hall, designed by , there is an amazing artwork of stained glass by Leonard Walker depicting King Henry VI who granted the Leathersellers’ Company its charter of incorporation back in 1444.

Also above the main figure of Henry you can see three shields: the royal coat of arms, the arms of the City of London, and then on the right-hand side there’s the arms of the Leathersellers’ Company.

Leonard Walker was a very well-known and prestigious watercolour and stained glass artist. As far as possible when producing this window Walker used medieval glass making techniques. For example he stained the glass while it was still molten and he produced lots of different pieces of glass of varying thicknesses and different sizes and then layered them up in order to produce this vividly coloured design. This was highly unusual at the time of its creation in 1937.

Follow link in bio to learn more about the stained glass window and our role as stewards with our Archivist, Kate Higgins.

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03/07/2025

For Jo Roberts, CEO of working with nature allows children and young people to experience connection with one another and the therapists, and see resilience modelled in real time. “In nature-based work, we’re all experiencing the same thing,” she says. “If the wind is howling and they are freezing in the cold, so are we. The ‘them and us’ tends to disappear in our work, and we’re just role-modelling and showing how we regulate alongside them, and that seems to have a big effect on them, because it’s balanced, it’s equal.”

Read the story about how nature can be used to address Adverse Childhood Experiences and inspire positive change > link in Leathersellers’ bio.

Words by
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30/06/2025

Awen Salisbury, who is currently studying the Foundation Diploma in Books and Binding at , is pictured for an upcoming story for the about their support for bookbinding.

The leather used on the course is provided by the Surplus Leather Project, which is generously funded by and delivered in partnership with .

Over the two-year diploma, students at West Dean use this leather to learn traditional bookbinding techniques from paring and tooling to covering and finishing. They create both historical and contemporary bindings, developing their skills to become skilled makers and craftspeople.

Stay tuned for the full feature in this autumn’s Leathersellers’ Review.

18/06/2025

Leathersellers’ Foundation grantee, Tender, is an England-wide charity, which uses drama-based activities to educate children, young people and adults about healthy relationships.

Tender works with a wide variety of organisations, from primary schools to global businesses. The charity provides a safe, enjoyable space where people can engage with sensitive topics and can ‘rehearse’ for real-life scenarios and explore their rights, responsibilities and expectations within relationships. “For young people, we have scripts where they observe characters meeting for the first time. Peppered into that interaction are examples of what we call ‘early warning signs’ or ‘red flags’ that the relationship might not be particularly healthy.” This might be coercive or controlling behaviour, for example.

Why does drama work so well when it comes to addressing adverse childhood experiences? Using roleplay and drama helps participants to develop their skills in understanding people. “Drama is such a relational art form. We find it a fantastic tool for developing empathy.”

Their expert facilitators are adept at picking up on when something a child says is coming from personal experience. They are there to offer support to the child and the school. Enabling teachers to identify and intervene when children and young people are at risk not only changes the lives of those experiencing abuse, but means that Tender’s impact goes far beyond what they deliver in their sessions.

📷 A Tender workshop held with pupils at the John Chilton School in Northolt by Joseph Ironmonger.

Read the story about using music, art and drama to address adverse childhood experiences and break cycles of trauma > link in Leathersellers’ bio.

11/06/2025

passing on valuable bookbinding craft skills to students as part of our support for - full story from coming soon.

Sign up to our newsletter > link in bio.

30/05/2025

The pilot Bespoke Leather Course, supported by the Leathersellers’ Foundation , has now finished after 8-weeks of design and making with teachers and

Participants were set the brief of bringing to life one of their designs under the concept of ‘New Heritage’ and were able to use leather donated from partner tanneries as part of the Surplus Leather Project with

Leather bag by Imarnie Bennett, pictured. Imarnie said: “Leather is definitely something I would work with again - so happy to have this new skill set and be able to have such an amazing outcome for my first ever leather bag! The simpler the look the more skills and time!”

Congratulations to all the students:
.atelier

For the latest from the Leathersellers sign up to our newsletter > link in bio

13/05/2025

The south facade of the Leathersellers’ Seventh Hall with St Helen’s church in the foreground. When redesigning the Hall, which was opened in 2017, set about creating “a front of what might otherwise have been seen as a back.” The exterior material of masonry-scaled ceramic-faced terracotta elements mottled with red, blue and purple shimmers in sunlight and creates a depth and materiality reminiscent of tanned leather.

Find out more about the Seventh Hall > link in bio.

24/04/2025

for a story about bookbinding coming later this year for our annual Review by - also featuring and 📷

Sign up to the Leathersellers’ newsletter > link in bio.

15/04/2025

The Leathersellers’ Foundation has awarded a start-up grant to and Farm, helping to develop skills and knowledge in the production, preservation, and use of leather.

Based in the Cotswolds, Cotmarsh Tannery aims to produce fully traceable vegetable tanned leather; offer educational resources for students using a farm to fibre approach; and support others to create their own micro tanneries.

The Foundation has awarded £21,000 to help set up and develop the tannery for educational purposes, and an additional £1,500 for educational provision of four student workshops in the coming year.

Sign up to our newsletter for the latest from the Leathersellers > link in bio.

11/04/2025

The Shrieval Case - a commission presented to the Leathersellers in November 2024 by celebrating the shrieval year of Alderman Gregory Jones KC and for his use during his year in office as Sheriff of the City of London. Based on the traditional ministerial despatch boxes, this green leather case has the handle on the hinge side of the case and the lock positioned at the bottom of the case opposite the handle to ensure it is locked prior to carrying. On the top of the box are gold embossed outlines of the heraldry and coat of arms of the Leathersellers and Gregory Jones.

25/03/2025

Applications for The Leathersellers’ Award are now open - apply before the deadline of 1st April > link in bio.

The Leathersellers’ Foundation provides annual awards to help leatherworkers cover the cost of studio space at Cockpit Arts, a business incubator for craftspeople. The Foundation also supported the establishment and continued operation of ‘the leather hub’ at Cockpit Deptford, a space with essential communal leatherworking machines.

📷 leather bag by past awardee by

Address

7 St Helen's Place
London
EC3A6AB

Website

http://www.leathersellers.co.uk/

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