Ben and Louisa Jones of The Courtyard in Annan are passionate about traditional crafts, from textiles to leatherwork, and they make an array of items from the practical to the fantasy fashionable, from purses and pouches, cups and quivers to hats, coats, and fire-breathing dragons. They also love nothing more than dressing up in their handmade outfits to cut a dash at Steampunk festivals and Viking re-enactments
So striking was the Steampunk frock coat Ben Jones had made – and is seen wearing in our photos - that it was almost bought from his very back. An enthusiast fell in love with the exquisitely detailed hooded garment, complete with brass buckles, as soon as he saw it, and had to have it. Fortunately, it was the perfect fit for him, and he was more than happy with the £2,500 price, reflecting the month of work which had gone into creating this one-off piece.
And so taken was he with Ben’s work, that he bought Bella, the fire-breathing dragon, which had taken three weeks to make - each one of the scales being individually hand-stamped in a painstaking process - and his partner purchased one of Ben’s trophy-hunter dragon heads.
The coat and the dragon (which sold for £1,500) are among the most expensive pieces that Ben makes and sells though his business Viking Leathers, but he has leather keyrings (made from ‘dragon’ scales) for £1.50, bracelets from £10, and leather shots glasses from £15, as well as beautiful belts, pouches and purses, tankards and water bottles, bags, bowler hats, gauntlets and array of Steampunk accessories. All are made with the same care and attention to detail by Ben, a self-taught leather worker who also makes his own leather.
Last year, as part of his commitment to the environment, he started making buckskin leather from deer hides, a waste product from a farm 20 miles away.
And he uses an ancient technique for the tanning that doesn't involve chemicals. “The main components are egg yolks and wood smoke, along with a fair amount of elbow grease,” he says. The process starts in early January and is normally completed around June or July but the finished material is worth the wait.
“The hides themselves are of a clothing grade, being very supple and soft to the touch that will make very good pouches and bags as well,” he says.
Ben, 45, who had worked for a national chain of shoe repairers for years, and Louisa, 44, who studied at Goldsmiths in London, has a textiles degree, has worked as a photographer, and taught sewing, brought traditional crafts back to Annan six years ago. The Courtyard was their modern take on a traditional cobblers and haberdashers, offering a range of traditional services, including shoe and tack repairs, and craft workshops such as quilting, patchwork and machine embroidery.
The couple had moved from Kent in 2017, along with their daughter Immie, now 10, and both sets of parents, in search of a better, slower pace of life in the south of Scotland.
“We were becoming despondent living in the south east and had been trying to find ways to be self-employed,” says Ben. “My Dad was self-employed when I was growing up and I wanted that quality of life for my own family. We wanted to find our way in the world.”
It was Ben’s dad Mick who spotted The Courtyard, previously a hardware shop, when it came up for let, and helped fit it out, making counters and units. Ben’s mum, Val Hensby, has also been instrumental in The Courtyard, lending her business expertise to the day-to-day running of the shop.
“When we identified this opportunity, Ben and I decided to combine our skills to give the business as much scope as possible,” says Louisa. “We are both keen on bringing back traditional crafts, and encouraging people to mend and reuse items instead of throwing them away.”
The Courtyard has developed over the years, with the spacious back yard hosting monthly markets and a pop-up shop showcasing the work of local craft makers. Louisa sells yarn, fabric, and a host of haberdashery items and pattens, and during the pandemic, made 6,000 face masks. They had to build a new website to deal with the online orders.
“We never stopped during lockdown. We kept going, I was in every day making the masks and our sales of yarn increased with everyone getting into crafts at home. But after the pandemic everything slowed down and we were very worried,” says Louisa.
This February the couple moved into the adjacent former LJ Residential building on the High Street, in what they admit was a “last ditch attempt” to ensure the future of the business. The expansion, and improved visibility on the main street, has paid off thus far – with Ben’s striking leather items – the coat, Steampunk hats, quivers, gauntlets, and dragon for example – catching the attention of passers-by and potential customers.
Louisa is continuing to teach machine sewing, basic quilting and crochet, and an engraver also has space in the building.
In between the more creative aspects of their work, both Louisa and Ben deal with the more practical jobs, including key cutting and shoe repairs. Ben is looking to run trainer making workshops, giving people the chance to make their own pair from scratch.
They also run the Annan High Street Communities voucher scheme, which encourages people to shop local, and Ben is an assistant Scout leader.
He and Louisa and Immie have also spent time working and training with Viking re-enactment groups, attending major meetings and camps in the UK, and they take part in, and sell their wares at historical fairs and Steampunk weekends.
• Grateful thanks to Solway Spirits in Annan for letting photographer Kim Ayres use their distillery for our Steampunk photoshoot
