The greatest craftspeople in Britain, as chosen by the nation's best interior designers, architects and country house experts
Country Life's 2026 list of experts' experts is an incredible collection of talent. Here are the craftspeople cited by our panellists.
Tim Crump, Oakwrights: I ride my bike past Hugh Peachey’s workshop, The Masons Yard in Herefordshire, and it is brilliant to see the beautiful fireplaces he is carving. A clean carved stone fireplace is a great complement to an oak-frame house and Hugh hand creates some fine examples.
Meg Boscawen: Without hesitation, Rupert Bevan in Shropshire. His work spans such a diverse range of disciplines and products, all executed with exceptional raftsmanship and beautifully considered detail. There is a timelessness and elegance to everything he creates that I find incredibly inspiring.
Ben Naylor, Jack Badger: I respect Mike Dennis for his passion for traditional crafts, deep knowledge of historic building techniques and commitment to sustainable, time-tested methods. He also has a remarkable ability to communicate the history and principles of traditional joinery in an engaging and accessible way.
Edward Smith, Artorius Faber: So many, but North Yorkshire-based Linda Fenwick’s shell work is exquisite.
The Bibury Mirror by Yorkshire-based Linda Fenwick, who decorates individual artworks and entire rooms with shells.
Sarah Vanrenen, Vanrenen Hanbury: Beardmore supplies the most beautiful architectural ironmongery, from cabinet handles to bespoke front-door furniture. Everything is handmade in the company’s foundry on the Sussex coast and the showroom in Chelsea, SW10, is an absolute treasure trove.
Chloe Willis, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler: What Edmund Le Brun, Flore de Taisne, Nada Debeaumont and the whole team at Ishkar are doing to support Afghan artisans is so important. They have opened a door to brilliant craftspeople, from rug-makers to glass blowers and now embroiderers. I am probably biased, but my mother, Cecilia Willis, produces beautiful bowls and moon jars, which find their way into every one of my projects. Wonderful colours and strong brushmarks.
Edmund Le Brun and his wife, Flore de Taisne, founded Ishkar in 2016 when living in Afghanistan, in a bid to support the local artisans. It now has a showroom in London,
Geoffrey Preston: Britain has so many brilliant craftspeople, it is hard to pick just one. Instead, I’ll nominate Heritage Crafts, the national charity for historic skills and a great champion of all manner of traditional crafts.
Hugo Bugg, Harris Bugg: Jeremy Weiss of traditional rural skills training and consultancy Proper Edges in Devon is that rare thing: a practical craftsman who is deeply invested in conservation and teaching. Skilled at hedge-laying, hedge banks, gate-making and scything, he now runs hedge-laying courses, too. A laid hedge is a living fence that keeps stock in as well as feeding and sheltering hedgerow wildlife, all without a yard of wire, and a scythe will out-mow a strimmer in a wildflower meadow with no noise, no fumes and no harm to slow-worms or seedheads.
Greg Tirri, RW Armstrong Group: I am blown away by the quality, precision and depth of the work of Mathew Bray of MBMC Studios, encompassing decorative arts, architectural finishes, joinery and furniture.
A chinoiserie-style design by MBMC Studios, founded by Mathew Bray and Matthew Collins, which employs decorative artists in London and Somerset.
Shankar Kothapuram, Tom Stuart-Smith Studio: Thomas Rösler works with large pieces of timber in an almost intuitive way. There is much skill involved in his approach and a real sensitivity to materiality that makes the work feel both considered and instinctive.
Angelica Squire, Studio Squire: Gloucestershire-based furniture and cabinetry specialist Ed Keyser is a long-time collaborator of ours; we adore working with him and his team. His attention to detail and skillset make the process and end result a real pleasure.
Lonika Chande: We are lucky to work with many extraordinary craftspeople. Thinking about wall finishes alone, London-based decorative artist John Harragan creates beautiful finishes with real depth and, in East Sussex, Tess Newall’s incredible murals bring huge charm and individuality to a room.
Tess Newall painted the ceiling of this dining room for a project designed by Isabella Worsley, who also created Country Life’s stand at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Ross Sharpe, Yiangou: Geoffrey Preston in Devon is a true artist in plasterwork and plaster decoration and a very nice chap to boot.
Robbie Kerr, ADAM Architecture: London-based sculptor, carver and gilder Clunie Fretton really understands materials and every piece comes to life with extraordinary skill. Decorative-arts specialists Mathew Bray and Matthew Collins of MBMC Studios bring so many wonderful crafts together under one roof, all executed to perfection.
Francis Terry: When we were building the new Tapestry Drawing Room at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, we were nearing the opening date and needed someone to carve the head of Pluto at speed. The amazing Clunie Fretton managed to carve the piece in the required timeframe and, now installed, it looks convincingly like a piece of genuine Baroque sculpture.
Clunie Fretton has worked at the Houses of Parliament and the V&A.
Rupert Cunningham, Ben Pentreath Studio: Matthias Garn is a master mason and carver who learnt his craft in his native Dresden in Germany, before settling in York to study under the great Dick Reid. He now has his own workshop and has established himself as one of the pre-eminent craftsmen in the North of England.
