Visitors to Mansfield will have a chance to step back in time at a free Heritage Skills Fair this weekend.
A bustling historic crafts fair of rare skills, including bow making and the delicate art of historic wallpaper restoration, will transform the central square of the Four Seasons Shopping Centre from 9am to 5.30pm on Saturday 4 July.
People will be able to watch master craftspeople demonstrate skills, such as leatherwork, pottery and furniture-making using a foot-powered pole lathe. They can discover how old-style construction materials were made or chat with specialists about traditional building trades.
Children aged three and above can get hands-on in a traditional crafting area where they can try their hand at loom and card weaving, creating Viking trading beads and other folk crafts.
Cllr Stuart Richardson, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Growth, said: “The fair will be a great hands-on experience for all ages. There will be something for everyone to enjoy, from grandparents to toddlers, so why not come along and get involved.
“This won’t just be a history lesson but a live, interactive festival of creativity where the past comes to life in a day of discovery and old-fashioned fun.
“Some of these trades have survived for centuries but are becoming rarer to find, so we are pleased to shine a light on some of these vanishing skills that built the East Midlands.”
There will also be a marketplace of unique handmade products that support the preservation of endangered heritage skills.
The event is part of the Mansfield Townscape Heritage Project, a £1.3m project backed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund which has part-funded architectural improvements to properties in the town centre since 2018 and enabled community initiatives to encourage public interest in the town’s history.