Marchmont: Challenge and Transformation
In 2023 The Hugo Burge Foundation opened a state-of-the-art silversmithing workshop on their Marchmont campus supported by a generous donation of tools, machinery and books by the late Master silversmith Graham Stewart. For Goldsmiths’ Stories, Eleni Bide learns how this workshop on the Scottish Borders provides mentorship and support to early career silversmiths.
With views out over the deep green countryside of the Scottish Borders, the Marchmont estate has a long history of connecting creativity and skill to the landscape. In the 18th century, craftspeople used their talent to build and decorate the house, which still sits within its grounds. Today it is also home to the Hugo Burge Foundation, which offers residencies and workshop spaces covering a wide range of disciplines. Its ethos in the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement, inspired by the natural world and the power of community.
Based on the vision of entrepreneur Hugo Burge, the Foundation was established to carry on his work ‘nourishing and inspiring creativity in every single one of us, young and old’. Before his unexpected death in 2023, Burge had spent 10 years turning the house and its surroundings into a haven for makers and creators. Silversmithing is one of the practices given the opportunity to flourish in this beautiful setting. A well-equipped silversmithing workshop overlooks the estate’s gardens and woodland. Formerly 19th-century kennels, the workshop was created with the help of three of the silversmiths who live and work at Marchmont as emerging maker tenants: Katie Watson, Hannah Keddie and Scott Smith.
Silversmithing is one of the practices given the opportunity to flourish in this beautiful setting. A well-equipped silversmithing workshop overlooks the estate’s gardens and woodland. Formerly 19th-century kennels, the workshop was created with the help of three of the silversmiths who live and work at Marchmont as emerging maker tenants: Katie Watson, Hannah Keddie and Scott Smith. They all recognised the project’s huge potential at an early stage. Keddie remembers that “after my first visit it became clear it was a special place.” “Marchmont presented itself as a hub where traditional techniques and contemporary design intersected,” says Smith. It allowed him to “explore and expand my skills while drawing inspiration from Scotland’s landscapes and cultural heritage.” Creating the space came with challenges. Watson says: “When we moved down initially, the workshop wasn’t ready and so we were involved in kitting out […] putting up shelves, sanding benches and so on.” Building delays meant having to spend a few weeks in a temporary workshop. “We had no gas, running water or heating. (This was January in Scotland!)” remembers Smith, but this “fostered a sense of resilience and camaraderie amongst the team”.
Comprising five benches, a polishing room, hammering room and meeting space, the silversmithing workshop celebrated its first birthday on 25 March. One of its remarkable features is its tool collection. This came from the celebrated master silversmith Graham Stewart, and its place at the heart of the Marchmont set-up illustrates the Foundation’s ambitions to share knowledge and enable future generations of craftspeople. Stewart, who lived and worked in Dunblane, bequeathed his entire collection of tools, machinery and books to the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust, which partnered with Marchmont to establish its silversmithing workshop. This collaboration helped realise his wish that the tools would continue to be used by early-career silversmiths in Scotland, and they have already helped to create wonderful objects.
In 2023, Watson was commissioned to make a large-scale centrepiece. “I wanted to challenge my making skills and so designed a piece that had free-flowing curves rather than a traditional form. I was able to do this with the tools from the workshop; otherwise, it would have been more difficult as certain tools are hard to come by or just don’t exist anymore.”
Keddie also emphasises how important access to specialised equipment has been: “Once my tenancy with the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop has finished, I will be lucky enough to know exactly what tools I will need to purchase after having practised and experimented with the ones available in the workshop.”
Setting up a new workshop is a difficult and expensive business for craftspeople starting out in the profession. Marchmont’s silversmithing space provides practical support for its tenants during their two-year residency, including access to mentors and masterclasses, but its unique atmosphere is just as important.
All three silversmiths comment on the inspiration they’ve drawn from the natural world, which surrounds the building, and the sense of community. “One of my favourite aspects of the workshop,” says Keddie, “is having the company of Katie and Scott to work and exhibit next to, while sharing ideas and advice in support of each other’s progression and success.” Reflecting on the work he has created here, Smith says: “the atmosphere of creativity and innovation fuelled my imagination.” He uses the word “transformative” to describe his experience so far, and Marchmont certainly does transform on many levels, shaping ideas and ambitions as well as metal.
Written by Eleni Bide for The Goldsmiths’ Review 2023-2024 | Photography by Angus Bremner