Discovering that my handwriting needs work beyond signing for parcels isn’t exactly a relaxing realisation — but it was just one of the pleasant discoveries of joining a calligraphy workshop at Cotswolds hideaway Double Red Duke.
For the next few months, fashion designer Savannah Miller is curator in residence for a series of hands-on sessions led by stellar makers. You’ll find Miller block-printing with textile talent Molly Mahon in February, brushing up on watercolour with illustrator Matthew Rice in March, and exploring creative ways with botanicals in April with printmaker Clare O’Leary and 100 Acres co-founder Ellea Whamond.
The ‘Awaken the Maker’ workshops are your chance to explore a creative pastime with a skilled craftsperson, in the company of like-minded beginners and the cosseting surroundings of Double Red Duke. The fact that, while you’re there, you can use this bucolic bolthole as a launchpad to explore the Cotswolds and dine like, well, a duke, is the cherry on top.
THE STAY: FIT FOR AN AESTHETE
Part of the joy of signing up for an Awaken the Maker workshop is that it’s your cue to book an accompanying at stay Double Red Duke. I chose to check in the night before, others on the course are staying on after the calligraphy, and some lucky attendees are there for two nights.
On first impressions, this Cotswolds hideaway appears to be a historic, beam-ceilinged pub with rooms, its fire-warmed salons unfolding like a cosy labyrinth of nooks and quiet corners across the ground floor, with a wood-lined bar and orangery restaurant at its heart.
But as my polished three-course dinner testifies, the gastronomy at Double Red Duke is elevated far beyond trad pub grub: I feast on sesame-flecked tempura cauliflower, a meltingly pink loin of venison, and a curated regional cheese plate — matched in flair only by the accomplished wine and cocktail lists.
Lodgings, too, are far more luxury hotel than pub. Rooms are generously proportioned — some in an annexe, others in the main inn — but all thoughtfully dressed in Arts and Crafts-inspired furnishings: vintage finds, bold Rapture & Wright wallpapers, Little Greene Paint Co palettes and Fermoie printed fabrics.
My Large Room on the ground floor comes with French doors that open onto a private, furnished terrace; another Large, a fellow calligrapher tells me, has a rolltop bath set within the bedroom.
THE EXPERIENCE: COPPERPLATE CALLIGRAPHY
The orangery, dressed for Christmas and warmed by the crackling fire, is the setting for a half-day calligraphy workshop, hosted by Miller and led by skilled scribe Kate Ridyard of Petersham Nurseries in West London.
There are 16 of us, installed at bench-lined tables — our place-settings equipped with paper, ink and a quill, as well as Kate Ridyard’s instruction sheet and an ominous roll of paper towels for spills. Donned in suitably arty chunky boots, cords and a crisp oversized white shirt, Ridyard takes us through the mechanics of ink and nibs; helpful body posture; how to practise basic strokes and get to grips with the alphabet.
The premise seems to be that if you can adopt the rules of Copperplate modern calligraphy, you can graduate to bringing your own artistic take to its execution. The carrot of being able to pen some beautiful handwritten gift tags is this class’s suitably festive component.
Friendly chatter melts away into quiet concentration, punctuated only by Ridyard’s gentle pointers and encouragement as she circulates around the room. The joy of Copperplate is that it is a script that requires slow-down to successfully replicate its curvaceous strokes and elegant flourishes. There are no prizes for speed today — and no judgment if you need to order a second coffee from the next-door bar.
There’s also very little competition; my fellow scribes are curious and kind. I hear only words of encouragement for each other’s shakily quilled efforts. I find new-found respect for the manuscript-making monks of old and wonder how Shakespeare and co could even be bothered to commit their artful words to parchment when so much effort was required. I doubt I would have made it much past, ‘When shall we three meet again?’
As we plough through the worksheets, copying each letter to the slanted grid and hopeful for improvement through repetition, my hand may be cramping with overuse, but my head feels clearer. Calligraphy brings a mindfulness to making that thankfully has nothing to do with skill. Even with my appalling capital Ms, even if I never pick up a quill again, it’s been an indulgent morning of analogue enjoyment and friendly company. We all retire to the bar for the finale — a delicious, multi-course lunch — and Miller and I talk further about her creative curation.
THE CURATOR: SAVANNAH MILLER ON HER CRAFTY SIDE
How did this project for Awaken the Maker with Double Red Duke come about?
I have always been obsessed with making things and recently have become very aware of how enriching it is to come together with a group of people and spend a day learning a new skill. In this fast-paced digital world, there is very little time to make or for real connection, so it felt like a wonderful idea to curate a group of makers and host at the Double Red Duke, which has long been a favourite local place for me.
How did you go about curating the line-up of collaborators for this series?
A few of them are friends, or friends of friends — Kate Ridyard, who taught our calligraphy workshop, is the in-house calligrapher at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond where my husband and I got married. I wanted there to be a broad spectrum of makers from different disciplines, as well as having a seasonal component to it. I think we can really connect to nature and the seasons through making so I am really looking forward to the spring workshops where we are going to be dyeing and fragrance-making with botanicals.
Which of the featured skillsets interests you the most?
I am interested in all of it! I really love making. I have long admired Molly Mahon for her bold palettes and contemporary-but-classic Indian block-printing. Her use of colour is so inspiring. I am going to be attending all of the workshops that I can.
What’s your hot tip for anyone looking to stay at Double Red Duke? Any favourite corners or rooms? A preferred drink or dish?
I love everything [on the menu] from the fire — the smoked aubergine dip is to die for. I find all the rooms really gorgeous, because the interiors are so generous and richly dressed. You feel like you are staying in someone’s fabulous country home.
And beyond the Cotswolds — what has inspired you? Are there any hotels in particular where the ambience has ignited that creative spark?
I love El Fenn in Marrakech. It’s everything you want Marrakech to be; it’s in the heart of the Medina but a calm and elegant, super-fun sanctuary. I love the way Marrakech is a melting-pot for so many cultures, and it also feels very much like going back in time and reminds me of my bohemian childhood.
Are there any destinations you’d love to travel to just to learn a particular craft?
I would love to explore the incredible embroidery and dyeing techniques in India. I could spend months doing that. If I am using my hands, creativity flows through me as if it is coming from somewhere else and it’s the best feeling in the world.
YOUR TURN TO LEARN
Pair a stay at Double Red Duke with an ‘Awaken the Maker’ workshop of your choice.
Tuesday, 10 February Block-printing with textile designer Molly Mahon.
Tuesday, 17 March Watercolour with designer and illustrator Matthew Rice.
Tuesday, 7 April Botanicals: plant dyeing and fragrance making with textile artist Clare O’Leary and 100 Acres co-founder Ellea Whamond.
Take-home trinkets that are ready-made star in our arty guide to sustainable souvenirs. And you can discover our full collection of boutique and luxury hotels in the Cotswolds