I write this as President of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen. The Guild exists for a simple reason: to uphold good standards in making - honest materials, clear design, skilled hands - and to help the public find objects worth owning. That is why Guild work belongs at Eleven Bibury.

My role with the Guild

I accepted the Presidency because standards need a steward. The Guild holds a clear line in a noisy market: make it well, price it fairly, explain it plainly. My job is to keep that line steady - supporting our makers, widening the audience for good craft, and creating practical opportunities to show and sell - without diluting what we stand for. Day to day, that means partnerships, curation and the practical detail that gets good work in front of people. My test is simple: will this hold up in ten years, and in fifty? If not, we don’t do it.

What the Guild is (and isn’t)

We are a professional body shaped by the Cotswolds’ Arts & Crafts principles: honest materials, good design, skilled hands. We are not a hobby club. Our purpose is to help makers earn a living from high-quality work and to help the public find objects worth owning - pieces to use, repair and hand on.

What we do

We select, present and sell members’ work. We stage exhibitions. We teach where it helps. We advocate for hand-skills. Our disciplines include ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles, leatherwork, wood, metal, print and paper. The aim is straightforward: a healthy craft economy in Gloucestershire and beyond, where skill is visible and valued.

How membership works

Membership is earned by peer selection. Makers apply with evidence of their practice. We look for:

Excellence of making - precision, finish and consistency.
Coherent design - a clear point of view.
Professional practice - reliable methods, provenance, standards.

Those accepted join a working community with responsibilities: to exhibit, contribute time, share knowledge, and keep improving.

Why Guild work lives at Eleven Bibury

Eleven Bibury is a working home for craft - food, design and making under one roof. I wanted visitors to handle objects made by people who can tell you exactly how and why they’re made that way. The Guild’s standards match ours: provenance first, quality you can feel, beauty that earns its place.

In our rooms, craft is in use, not on a plinth - a glass that catches morning light, a textile that softens with years, a turned bowl that improves with handling. We rotate work so there is always something new to discover, and every purchase supports a maker’s livelihood here in Gloucestershire and beyond.

What this gives makers - and buyers

For makers: a serious platform with clear curation and proper storytelling.
For buyers: trust. If it carries the Guild’s name and sits at Eleven Bibury, it has been selected for design integrity, material honesty and durability.

Our direction

We will keep doing the simple things well: select carefully, present clearly, teach where useful, and collaborate where it strengthens the craft ecosystem. The measure stays the same - does it last, and does it make sense in daily use?

Come and see the work in context at Eleven Bibury. Ask questions. Pick things up. If you take something home, you are not buying a trend; you are investing in skill, time and judgement - and helping to keep those skills alive.

- Lady Anne

The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen: why it matters here at Eleven Bibury