The Repair Shop: LIFE IN THE BARN: The Inside Stories from the Experts

by Jay Blades

Overview

A third book from the BBC’s Top Rated Hit The Repair Shop

In today’s throwaway culture, there’s a counter movement growing that urges us to "make do and mend". The Repair Shop has brought this waste-conscious message to an even wider audience, cementing itself as a BBC classic of the likes of Antiques Roadshow.

The third book concentrates on the show’s much-loved experts, including woodworker and furniture restorer Will Kirk, clockmaker and mechanical wizard Steve Fletcher, silversmith Brenton West, saddler/leatherworker Suzie Fletcher, upholsterer Sonnaz, and seamstresses Julie Tatchell & Amanda Middleditch – aka The Teddy Bear Ladies, with each sharing why they love their craft, followed by a narrative on two specific objects and their restoration journeys. These narratives  capture the ethos of the programme by being almost Aesop’s Fables-esque – e.g. The Woodworker and the Broken Toy Chest – with quotes from the recipients of restored objects dotted around. 

With the focus on the artisans themselves, readers will feel as though they’re stepping straight into the ‘workshop of dreams’.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781914239649
Publisher:	Octopus Books
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	177,576
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Enter a workshop filled with expert craftspeople, bringing loved pieces of family history and the memories they hold back to life. A heartwarming antidote to throwaway culture, BBC’s The Repair Shop has over six series, with two more confirmed, establishing itself in the realms of Antiques Roadshow or Who Do You Think You Are? as a perennial crowdpleaser with a massive loyal following. 

Instagram: @therepairshop.tv | Twitter: @TheRepairShop 

Table of Contents

Foreword Jay Blades 6

The Magic of the Barn 12

Making the Magic

What Makes a Great Repair?

Why Craft Matters

The Experts 20

The Metalworker: Dominic Chinea 24

Pedal Train

Racking Duck

The Teddy Bear Ladies Julie Tatchell Amanda Middleditch 36

Goldie Bear

Pancake Dog

The Woodworker Will Kirk 48

Turkish Bath Clogs

Rickety Table

Wooden Ship

The Leatherworker Suzie Fletcher 66

Shakespeare's Works

Canadian Saddle

Child's Lost Shoe

The Horologist Steve Fletcher 84

Lightning Machine

A Clock Called 'Old Oily'

Vintage Hearse Lamps

The Ceramics Conservator Kirsten Ramsay 96

Garden Urn

Buddhist Figurine

The Silversmith Brenton West 108

Beekeeping Equipment

Omani Chest

The Art Conservator Lucia Scalisi 118

Queen Henrietta's Portrait

Portrait of a Little Girl

The Upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary 130

Ball Chair

The Bookbinder Christopher Shaw 140

Jewish Prayer Book from a Concentration

Camp

The Cobbler Dean Westmoreland 150

Roller Skates

The Organ Builder David Burville 158

Barrel Organ

The Bicycle Restorer Tim Gunn 168

Child's Tricycle

The Electromechanical Engineer Mark Stuckey 176

Windrush Radiogram

Rachel's Go-Kart

Index 190

Acknowledgements 192