Research has revealed an increase in heritage craft skills under threat in the UK. Heritage Crafts released their 2023 Red List of Endangered Crafts, which saw 17 new additions such as gauged brickwork, Cornish hedging, silk weaving and pigment making. 
 
The Red List was created to safeguard traditional craft skills for the future. First published in 2017, the list is an essential tool that monitors the health of the UK's diverse craft sector. For this edition, 259 crafts were assessed; 146 made it onto the Red List, with 62 classified as 'critically endangered' and 84 as 'endangered', with the remaining 112 found to be currently 'viable'.
 
Crafts such as encaustic tile making and straw hat making were found to be critically endangered, with few practitioners and a lack of training routes for the skills and knowledge to be passed on. Their classification means they are at serious risk of dying out within the next generation in the UK. 
 
The energy crisis and inflation have intensified the pressure on craft businesses still navigating Brexit uncertainties. The industry also contends with a lack of funding for training, and craftspeople cannot afford to step away from production to train their successors, leaving these crafts in danger of being lost altogether.
 
One such craft is mouth-blown flat glass making which is now extinct in the UK. The last manufacturer English Antique Glass was forced to halt production of this type of glass after they had to move their site of 23 years due to land redevelopment. "The last few years have taught us the importance of resilience when things don't always go to plan,' explained Hettie Bowles, their Operations and Logistics Director, continuing, "not only with the relocation but in the face of the huge increases in costs for raw materials and gas, as well as inflation in general." There is still hope the company retains the skills and knowledge to restart mouth-blown flat glass production if circumstances change.
 
The concern is the extinction of mouth-blown flat glass making will have a knock-on effect with connected crafts such as stained glass window makers and restorers. These businesses will now have to buy from suppliers in France and Germany, increasing shipping costs and import taxes. For this reason, the making and restoration of historic stained glass windows have been added to the Endangered List. Mary Lewis, who led the research at Heritage Crafts, said of the ripple effect, "craft skills operate like an ecosystem; losing one part can have devastating consequences on other parts of the system. If we allow endangered crafts to disappear, then we seriously diminish the opportunities for future generations to create their own sustainable and fulfilling livelihoods." 
 
The UK is a leader in preserving physical heritage, such as buildings and museum collections but has fallen behind when it comes to the protecting intangible heritage in skills and practices. The recent restoration of Elizabeth Tower, aka Big Ben, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, illustrates the situation. The £80 million renovation saw the replacement of the glass across the four dials, 324 pieces on each clock face. Around 1,300 mouth-blown glass panels were imported from Germany, hand produced by the glass manufacturer Glashütte Lamberts.
 
Ending on a positive note, the pandemic saw a newfound appreciation for the handmade, which might explain some crafts that have increased, such as brilliant cutting (carving a pattern into flat glass) and shinty stick making (for the Scottish game).