Heritage Crafts Association publishes Red List of Endangered Crafts 2025
The Heritage Crafts Association has published its Red List of Endangered Crafts in the UK for 2025.
Calligraphy remains a viable craft, according to the latest update of the register, but parchment and vellum making is on the critically endangered list.
This means they are at serious risk of no longer being practised in the UK.
The critically endangered list may include crafts with a shrinking base of craftspeople, crafts with limited training opportunities, crafts with low financial viability, or crafts where there is no mechanism to pass on the skills and knowledge.
Daniel Carpenter, executive director of Heritage Crafts said: “The Red List underscores the urgent need for greater investment and support to safeguard these skills for the next generation.
“Reversing this decline would represent not just the continuation of skilled trades, but also a significant boost to the UK’s cultural heritage and countless opportunities for future innovation.”
Illumination and pigment making under-threat
There is also a list of endangered crafts, which means there are currently enough craftspeople to transmit their skills to the next generation, but there are serious concerns about their ongoing viability.
This could be due to a shrinking market share, an ageing demographic or crafts with a declining number of practitioners.
Illumination, hand engraving, letterpress and pigment making are all classified as endangered crafts.
Crafts classified as ‘currently viable’ are those which are in a healthy state and have sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation.
They may have a large market share, be widely popular or have a strong local presence. However, it does not mean that the craft is risk-free or without issues affecting its future.
Bookbinding and Islamic Calligraphy join calligraphy on the viable list.
Twenty new additions to the Red List 2025
Twenty new additions have been made to the Red List of Endangered Crafts this year, of which there are a total of 165 entries.
Research carried out by Heritage Crafts, funded by The Pilgrim Trust with additional sponsorship from The Royal Mint, has found that rising operational costs, a lack of structured training, and mounting market pressures are placing unsustainable strain on crafts that depend on expert hand skills.
The Red List of Endangered Crafts shines a light on heritage craft practices under threat from a number of identifiable issues, acting as a call-to-action to those with the power to resolve or alleviate these issues and avoid the cultural loss that is borne each time a craft dies.
Mary Lewis, who led the research on behalf of Heritage Crafts, said: “As we mark 10 years since the launch of the Red List, it is a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come.
“What began as a bold and ambitious idea has grown into a respected, sector-defining resource.”
Safeguarding skills for the next generation
The Red List of Endangered Crafts 2025 also has a new ‘resurgent’ designation, focusing on crafts that are faring better, such as hazel basket making, reverse glass sign painting and side saddle making.
Heritage Crafts said in many cases, this has been as a result of a new-found appreciation of the handmade and the need to support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In other cases it has been due to direct support from the charity, which distributes grants to help practitioners overcome the obstacles they facing.
In the latest round of training bursaries, Lesley Romano, a self-employed graphic designer from Swansea, was selected to train in calligraphy and illumination with three fellows of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators.
Lesley said: “Securing this training bursary will give me the opportunity to work with some of the best practitioners and help me elevate my calligraphic and illumination skills.”
The Red List of Endangered Crafts 2025 is available to view here.