Treehouse Festival 2023
Welcome to Treehouse Festival 2023!
Welcome to Treehouse Festival 2023! It's great to see those who have been before. It’s nice to see some familiar faces and a special warm welcome to all of you who are with us for the first time. We hope you have a great week discovering new skills; becoming part of the community, trying new food and meeting new people.
2023 will be the 14th year of the festival, and each year more is being added, but we always keep numbers to less than 150 people. By the end of the week you can meet everyone on site (if you wish!). If you ' re here for the first time, you probably came for the crafts, but if you ' ve been before, you ' re probably here for the friendship (and the food!). You are the community. Enjoy the week.
Roots of The Treehouse Festival
Treehouse Festival grew out of a group of friends who decided to build a real treehouse in their spare time. Every summer they’d spend a week or so camping out at the farm, working on the treehouse’s spiral staircase, balcony and roof - using only found and recycled materials. More friends started to come along to join in.
Eventually even more friends came, who didn’t particularly want to build but wanted to enjoy the camping, making things and the community spirit that quickly became something very special. Soon the week of camping became its own entity, while the magnificent treehouse continued to be built, and the Treehouse Festival was born.
The treehouse itself is now sadly gone (ask Adam for the full storyalthough be warned, he does go on a bit), but the values of community, heritage craft, and eco-building that brought it to life carries on in the Festival..
This Year's Workshops
Morning sessions start at about 9.30am. Then lunch is between 12.30pm-2.30pm. Afternoon sessions usually start at 3.00pm. Kids Tea is at 5.30pm and evening meal will be around 6.30pm.
This is only a rough guide to times. Some workshops may start later or finish earlier than the times shown above.
All of the workshops listed are confirmed when this guide was put together but unforeseen things do happen so we cannot guarantee their availability and there may be sudden changes or cancellations. (Adam may meet someone at the last minute who does a craft he wants to try and we'll have a new workshop available!)
Workshops are either drop-in or you need to book. If the workshop you want to do is a bookable one then this is done at Root and Branch. Workshop bookings will be sorted using a fair, communityminded system.
We sadly cannot guarantee that everyone will do everything, but the community system ensures that everyone gets the chance to try something they are excited about.
If you change your mind about a workshop you ’ ve booked, or want to trade your place with someone else, please speak to Sequoia. She’ll mostly be at Root and Branch.
Wool, Cloth and Fibre
Knitting and Crochet (all week)
Kate Brittain
Pop along during the week to learn the basics of hand knitting and crochet. If you already have some knitting skills then this is your chance to share and develop your skills. There’s also a chance to have a go at using a knitting machine.
Drop-in (suitable for age 6 upwards)
Coil Basket Making (Tuesday)
Vanessa Bunton
Coil Baskets have been in use since prehistory with a beautiful example being recovered from Whitehorse Cist on Dartmoor that is more than 3000 years old. In this workshop you will learn how to create coil baskets using foraged fibres or recycled materials.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Lace-Making (Friday)
Norfolk Guild of Lace Makers
Join the members of the Norfolk Guild of Lace Makers, watch them at work and have a go yourself at the intricate and beautiful world of lace-making.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Natural Dyeing (Friday and Saturday)
Sue Nicholls
Make dyes using natural materials found on the farm and use them to create paper and cotton tie-dye patterns.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 7 upwards)
Wet Felt Making (Saturday and Sunday)
Genevieve Rudd
This is a hands-on felt-making workshop with wool and other fibres. You’ll create a patch using the wet felting method in your own design and colour to take away with you.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 6 years upwards)
Wool, Cloth and Fibre
Flax and Nettle Weaving (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Allan Brown
Allan is the subject of ‘The Nettle Dress’ film that we are showing on Wednesday evening. Not only will he be there but he is also going to be around to demonstrate how to process nettle fibres from plant to spun yarn. (please take nettles home with you!)
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 upwards)
‘Make Do and Mend’ Clothes Repairing (Wednesday and Thursday)
Kate Harper
The workshop is designed as an introduction to some simple and effective techniques to visibly mend holes in knitted or woven garments (including how to darn socks!). Bring a garment from home to work on or produce a decorative patch to take home.
Drop-in to learn from a variety of historical and contemporary mending practices, explore the effect that clothes rationing had on fashion and dress, and consider what relevance a ‘make do and mend’ mindset has for us today. The workshop is suitable for beginners with all materials and equipment provided.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 and upwards)
Fun With Fleece (all week)
Maddie Goolden & Lorna Webb
Join Maddie and Lorna as you have a go at carding sheep’s wool, spinning the wool with drop spindles and with a spinning wheel and then using the wool for knitting and weaving.
Drop-in (suitable for age 5 upwards)
The Treehouse Sheep
As part of the 'Stream' of crafts there is a flock of rare breed sheep on holiday with us. They were sheered earlier in the year, but will have their fleeces with them which you can use to card etc. They are very friendly.
Paper, Paint and Ink
Paper-Making (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday)
Rachel Burchill
In this workshop you’ll use different paper pulps to create paper and also take a short walk to collect natural materials to add into, or imprint onto, your paper.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Quill-Making (Wednesday)
Candide Turner-Bridger
Using goose and turkey feathers you’ll make a quill that you can take home to practice your writing and calligraphy skills.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
I
Paper, Paint and Ink
Ink-Making (Friday)
Candide Turner-Bridger
A chance for you to make brown and black inks out of walnut shells and charcoal. The perfect accompaniment to your quills, calligraphy skills or even your paper-making.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Paint-Making (Saturday)
Candide Turner-Bridger
Explore your prehistoric roots as you use the natural colours of the earth to make your own paints and pigments and then create your own pictures.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Charcoal Making (Thursday)
Candide Turner-Bridger
Using locally sourced willow and sitting around the campfire you’ll make your own sticks of charcoal to take away with you and use for drawing.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 and upwards)
Paper, Paint and Ink
Cyanotype Printing (Wednesday and Thursday)
Sue Nicholls
Cyanotype printing was first discovered in 1842 and is a form of photographic printing that produces a blue-coloured print. Taking inspiration from natural forms around the farm you’ll be able to make your own cyanotype print home with you.
Please note that cyanotype printing really needs a bright and sunny day. So if it isn’t that then we’ll shift it to another day and hope for the best.
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Book Binding (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)
Alan Fitch
Join local book binder Alan Fitch to create your own handstitched leather-covered notebook to take home with you. The paper being used is deckle-edged which means the edges of the paper have a rough look to them. Please note that there is an extra cost to take your notebook home.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 15 upwards)
Arabic Calligraphy (Wednesday and Thursday)
Razman Ul-Haq
Known as Khatt, Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting based on the Arabic alphabet. It is rightly regarded as an artistic form in it’s own right. In this workshop you will learn the basics of Arabic calligraphy using traditional materials.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Wood, Metal, Glass and Clay
Simple Spoon Carving (Tuesday
Nick Gosman
and Wednesday)
If you ’ ve ever wanted to get into greenwood working using traditional tools like axes and knives, this is your chance. Using techniques and skills dating back hundreds of years, Nick teach you how to make a basic cooking or eating spoon using wood that has been sustainability collected from local woodlands.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 14 upwards)
Greenwood Whittling (Thursday)
Chris Russell
If you missed your chance to try some spoon carving with Nick or if you want to carry on developing your carving skills then join Chris for one more day of wood whittling. You could make a spurtle (Chris will tell you what they are) to take home with you.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 14 upwards)
Wood, Metal, Glass and Clay
Small-Scale Pewter Casting (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Chris Russell
The morning session introduces a number of mould-making options with plenty of time to try more than one process. In the afternoon you will go through casting including Health and Safety, (showing how this can be done at home) before fettling and finishing the castings.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 11 upwards)
Treehouse Building (all week)
Jonathan Fell
During the week Jonathan will be planning and building a new treehouse for the Treehouse Festival. He’s going to need people to come along and take part in the planning, preparing tools and materials and in putting the treehouse together.
Drop-in (suitable for age 10 upwards)
Glassblowing (all week)
Graham Reed
During this workshop you will learn the basic skills of glassblowing. You’ll find out how to work with a burner and to blow rotate, manipulate and shape a piece of glass. At the end of the workshop you’ll be able to take away your own home-made glass object. All you need to bring is your own ‘puff’.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 6 upwards)
Wood, Metal, Glass and Clay
Blacksmithing (all week)
Daniel Johnson & Henry Ball
Our blacksmithing workshops are introductory sessions for complete beginners who have never used a hammer on an anvil. You’ll learn the art of blacksmithing with hands-on personal instruction as you create your very own hand-forged item.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 13 upwards)
Pottery and Kiln Building (Monday, Thursday to Saturday)
Chris Russell
This workshop starts with making pinch pots on the Monday, building the kiln on the Thursday and firing it on the Friday finally on Saturday morning you get to see your results. Those making pots or their own creations on the Monday get first shout on Thursday's kiln building - the very messy bit. Friday's kiln firing takes all day so drop in to see how it is progressing, but there is not much to do - or see, until around 5.00pm when the kiln ignites! A spectacular end to the process. The items cool down in the the kiln overnight and can be collected on Saturday morning.
Booking Essential (suitable for 8 upwards)
Renovating and Sharpening Tools (all week)
Stephen Biddle
Looking after tools is an important part of any craftsperson’s work. Join Stephen and find out how to bring your old tools back to life.
Drop-in (suitable for age 12 upwards)
Wood, Metal, Glass and Clay
Willow Weaving (Monday and Tuesday)
The Coddiwomplers
The Coddiwomblers are offering four separate workshops on willow weaving: two of them for adults only and two suitable for young people as well.
Making a Teepee Bird Feeder Monday morning (adults only) Use traditional basketry techniques to weave a teepee shaped bird feeder.
Making a Willow Platter Monday afternoon (adults and children aged 14 and over with an accompanying adult) Use a variety of willows and foraged materials to make a willow platter.
Wood, Metal, Glass and Clay
Make a Boat Tray
Tuesday morning (adults only)
Use traditional basketry techniques to weave a boat shaped curved tray.
Trying Willow Craft
Tuesday afternoon (adults and children aged from 6 with an accompanying adult) Come along and make a range of simple willow crafts to take away with you.
Booking for all willow workshops are essential
The Treehouse Festival Communal Project - Mosaic Making
(Tuesday to Sunday)
Gail Clegg
We want to create a Treehouse Festival mosaic and we want you all to join in making it with us. Make your mosaic pieces out of glass, glue and grout them into position and then come back to watch as others add their pieces.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Back to Nature
Lichen and Moss ID Walk (Friday - 2.30pm start)
Robert Yaxley
A walk around the site looking at habitats where lichens and mosses can be found and introducing people to their biology and diversity.
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Edible Plants and Foraging Walk (Wednesday - 2.30pm start)
Maria Pearson
Take a foraging stroll around the farm with Maria seeking out plants that can be gathered (responsibly obviously) for food. There will also be hints and tips on how to prepare what you have harvested.
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Honey Bees and Bee-Keeping (Thursday - 4.00pm start)
Trevor Nash
Join the chair of the Norfolk Beekeeper’s Association in a talk and demonstration all about honey bees, their life-styles and how you can start down the bee-keeping path.
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Saving Your Own Seeds (Thursday - 2.30pm start)
Kasia Puzio
Local gardener and horticulturist Kasia Puzio will introduce you to the forgotten skills of harvesting seeds from the produce coming out of your garden or allotment. She’ll also give tips on how to preserve your seeds so that they can still be used in the next growing season.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Ancient Crafts and Skills
Maille/Chain-Mail Making (Thursday to Sunday)
Phil Parkes
Learn how to make maille/chain-mail using traditional tools. Starting with wire you'll learn how to make rings and the different styles of riveting in different periods of history.
You'll look at examples of maille and learn how to weave and rivet the rings together to form a small piece to take away with you.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 9 upwards)
A Day in the Life of a Saxon Weaver (all week)
Jackie Bush
Come and join Jackie as she recreates the duties and lifestyle of a Saxon weaver from 10th century England. There will be demonstrations of weaving, spinning and Nalbinding (single- needled knitting popular in Viking Scandinavia and Saxon England).
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Living in the Bronze Age (all week except Tuesday)
Vanessa Bunton
Come and join Vanessa to find out textile skills and amber skills from the Bronze Age, learn how to use nettles for cordage and twinned textiles.
Drop-in (suitable for all ages)
Ancient Crafts and Skills
Make and Play Ancient Board Games (Tuesday and Friday)
Colin Hynson
Find out how to play board games from ancient Egypt and the Middle East, medieval Europe and pre-colonial New Zealand/Aotearoa and help bring them back to life by making your own set to take away.
Drop-in (suitable for age 8 upwards)
The Art of Traditional Storytelling (Wednesday and Thursday)
David Tonge
For thousands of years people have told stories to each other for entertainment, to explain the world around them and as a commentary on the events that affected them. In this workshop you’ll learn some of the basic skills of storytelling, how to fill your stories with historic details and how to use objects in your stories to bring the past to life. You might want to tell a story in the evening at the open mic night or around the campfire one evening.
Booking Essential (suitable for age 8 upwards)
Evening Entertainments
Sunday Family Film Night 7.00pm start
It’s been a long day getting to the Festival, setting up the tent and making sure that you have everything that your family needs for the week. So to help everyone slow down and relax for a bit we have a little bit of nostalgia for you and your children. We’ll be showing episodes of the classic 1960s children’s TV programme ‘Pogles Wood’ in the barn. Every episode is only 10 minutes long so you can come in and out as you please. Bring some cushions and blankets to sit on. There is a rumour that there may be popcorn.
Monday Blacksmithing Book Launch 7.30pm start
Our resident blacksmither, Daniel Johnson, has a new book about his craft coming out during Treehouse Festival. Join Daniel after supper for the launch of his book. Find out a bit more about the book from Daniel and maybe buy your own copy to take home with you (Daniel will be around to sign your copy to make it more personal).
Tuesday Bat Walk 8.30pm start
Join ecologist Xenia Snowman looking up (and listening) among the trees and buildings around the festival site in search of bats flitting through the evening sky.
Evening Entertainments
Wednesday
The Nettle Dress 8.00pm start
'The Nettle Dress' is a moving film all about the healing power of nature and of crafts. After the death of his wife textile artist Allan Brown spent seven years foraging, spinning and weaving a dress made out of nettles which would eventually be worn by one of his daughters. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Allan.
Please note that this film has a 12a rating which means that some of the content may not be suitable for anybody under 12 years old. The bar will be open
Thursday Band Night 8.00pm start
For Band Night this year we ’ re joined by 'Those Deadbeat Cats', a local rockabilly band, with high energy 80s covers and some classic rock hits from the 50s! The bar will be open
Friday
Open Mic Night 8.00pm start (with a 9.00pm 'watershed' for the more adult stuff)
Every year we have one evening where we get to entertain each other. Sometimes this is truly wonderful, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it's something else. The community of Treehouse Festival are a pretty forgiving bunch, so why not have a go - music, dancing, stand-up comedy, ventriloquist, spoons... or maybe try out that new skill of storytelling you learnt from the storytelling workshop! You don't need to be a pro! Sign up at Root and Branch. The bar will be open
Saturday
Evening Entertainments
The Treehouse Festival Pub Quiz Night (after the Big Feast - see below)
Get your teams together as we have our first ever quiz night with your Questioner-in-Chief Charlotte Snell. There’ll be some general knowledge categories and some questions all to do with the crafts you ’ ve tried at Treehouse. So it’s time to learn as much as you can about blacksmithing, knitting and willow weaving because you never know what will come up. Sign up for a team at Root and Branch. The bar will be open
The Big Feast! (any time from 7.00pm)
What better way to celebrate the end of the Treehouse Festival than with a magnificent banquet on hay bales in a field? Join us on our last night as we sit together, eat delicious food together, drink together and talk and laugh together. Tell everyone your favourite Treehouse Festival stories and with your new friends and neighbours start planning for Treehouse Festival 2024.
Young Treehousers
The children and young people who come to Treehouse are a much-valued part of our community. A few of our workshops are suitable for all ages but many are not. So we have created special activities and workshops just for children and young people. You’ll also find a selection of outdoor games for them to borrow in the family camping area.
Children remain the responsibility of their parents/guardians at all times and we ask that you familiarize yourself with our Code of the Community.
Forest School for Children
There’s a small corner of the Treehouse Festival set aside just for the youngest members of our community. The Treehouse Festival Forest School happens every morning and is a safe space for children to play, explore and learn both independently and together. Through creative activities such as cooking on a fire, jewellery-making and creating bunting using leaf prints they’ll be having fun and discovering some of the skills that the adults are trying as well. Please ensure that every child/carer has filled a consent form with the leader at the first session.
Forest School for Older Kids
Many of our workshops taking place during the week are suitable for older children (10 and above) but some are not. We thought it would be a good idea to give the over-10s their own space every morning with games, art activities, fire-making and cooking. Please ensure that every young person has filled a consent form with the leader at the first session.
Family Ceilidh (Friday afternoon)
Tiddly Folk presents a family barn dance. Popular ceilidh dances adapted with a tiddly-twist. Suitable for everyone from babe in arms to big kids at heart! All babies & children need a grown-up dance partner.
Food at Treehouse Festival
‘If you really want to make a friend, go to someone ’ s house and eat with him’ (Cesar Chavez)
Meals at the Treehouse Festival are perhaps the most important way in which we come together as a community. We all take turns to prepare and cook two main meals a day: lunch and dinner (breakfast is provided too but that’s a much simpler affair with porridge, cereals, breads and spreads). Everyone gathers in one place to eat, catch-up and socialize.
All of you will be part of a team to either prepare and serve meals (lots of vegetable chopping is involved) or to wash up afterwards. It’s a great way to chat, laugh or even sing with other members of Treehouse.
Every meal is vegetarian and will often be vegan too. If it isn’t then there will always be a vegan option.
For families with hungry children and also for those people who are on washing-up duty later then we have a earlier start time of 6.00pm for our evening meal. For everybody else see below.
Our head chefs for this year are Rob and Grace. Rob works for a Thai restaurant in London and has been bringing his creative culinary delights to Treehouse for several years. He's got plenty of new ideas simmering away for this year and will be joined by Grace who has been behind the stove at Treehouse since the very first pot was hoisted over the campfire. Grace has a passion for Indian food and has previously worked in catering in various places including a falafel stand in Cambridge where they learned a magical falafel recipe. They will both be joined by an additional team of cooks who will ensure that we all get hearty and tasty meals every day.
Times for meals are flexible. Generally it's about 8.00am for breakfast, 1.00pm for lunch and 6.30pm for dinner.
Other Things
Treehouse Festival Library
Pop along to the newly renovated Swamp Hut and you’ll find our new library of books all to do with crafts - both traditional and contemporary. You’re free to borrow them during the week so that if you fancy a bit of down-time you can relax with one of our books. Bring them back for next year though!
Root and Branch
This is the place where you can get information about workshops and other events as well as booking your place on any of those workshops. You’ll also find lots of Treehouserelated things you can take away. It's the brain hub of the festival.
Social Media
We love seeing your photos of Treehouse on your social media pages. Just two things to bear in mind. Please make sure that any pictures with children/young people are only shared with permission. Also remember to use #TF2023 as a hashtag.
We’ve also set up a Flickr group so that all of your photos can be shared with everyone else. There’s a QR code at Root and Branch so that you can sign up.
