Pugin Craft Workshop: Cyanotypes and Autumn Leaf Printing

Nottingham Cathedral is hosting a craft workshop for children on Wednesday 28 October, held in Cathedral Hall on College Street. It's run in two sessions, 10am to 12 noon and 1pm to 3pm, so you can pick the one that fits your day. The session is led by Emily Arnold and Alex Vincent Turner, and it's free for children aged seven and over. You'll need to book a ticket for the child, but accompanying adults don't need to book.

The workshop is part of the Restoring Pugin project, through which experts are uncovering and recreating hidden wall designs originally painted by the cathedral's architect, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. Just as Pugin looked to nature to inspire his intricate decor, the session has the children working with real plants and flowers to design detailed patterns on photographic paper and fabric.

There are two different techniques to try. One is cyanotype, a sun-printing photographic process that produces blue and white imagery. The other is printing with leaves using water-based ink, a craft with roots stretching back centuries. Both use natural materials as the starting point, so the whole thing ties back to the way Pugin worked. All the materials are provided on the day, and the children take home whatever they make.

It's a hands-on way of connecting the cathedral's artistic heritage with something you can actually do, rather than just look at. Booking is essential, and it's free for children aged seven and over, with two sessions to choose from: 10am to 12 noon or 1pm to 3pm at Cathedral Hall, College Street, Nottingham NG1 5AE.