The Pewterer
Two of the finest pewterers in the country can be found within the sound of Bow Bells in London's East End. Ron Charmer and John Webster, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Pewterers, formed Abbey Pewter 20 years ago.
Pewter used to contain a large proportion of lead that produced the familiar dark grey of antique tankards and plates, but since the 1960s, new laws have forbidden lead in all but the very smallest of quantities. This is why modern pewter has a brighter, cleaner look. In the workshop, tankards, christening mugs, candlesticks, sugar dredgers and mustard pots are lined up in varying stages of completion. Repairs, such as the removal of dents and the insertion of new glass bottoms, are also carried out. There is a price list for repairing everything from porringers to pipe stands.
Abbey Pewter, Unit 16, Bow Bridge House, 99/29 Payne Road, E3 2SP, (0181 981 8744)
The Butcher, the Baker..
... the candlestick maker are still going strong, but what of sweeps, knife-grinders and rag-and-bone men? We track down traditional tradesmen.
Chair-seater Kenneth Mason works in cane, rush, willow, reed and cord, and can repair practically anything.
The Chair-seater
There can be few households where a cane- or rush-seated chair or a stool with a collapsed bottom hasn"t at some time been part of the furniture. Gone are the days when a travelling chair-seater would knock on the door from time to time,. but help is at hand nevertheless. Chair-seater Kenneth Mason can be found at a Twickenham garden centre where, in good weather,: he works outside on the patio surrounded by plants. In winter, he retires to the warmth of his workshop. Formerly a wooden-toy maker, Kenneth started recaning 25 years ago when his father-in-law gave him two chairs with worn-out seats. What could have been an irksome gift turned into a complete career change, and Kenneth has been busy ever since. He uses cane from South-East Asia, a rattan palm which can reach as high as 400 feet into the forest canopy, working it while damp in order to avoid splitting. Kenneth, who also works in rush, willow, reed and cord, can repair practically anything. When the V & A Museum opened its 20th-century gallery, he was asked to recane all the pieces on display, but he finds a simple domestic footstool or headboard is just as satisfying a job.
Kenneth Mason, The Cane Workshop, Squires Garden Centre, Sixth Cross Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW2 SPA, (0989) 943 4869. Prices vary according to the scale of the job: a typical cane dining-chair seat costs from £50.