FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

BRONZE CASTING COURSES
Bring the bronze age to life and discover how metal became the new tool eventually replacing stone.
This is a two-day course held at Will Lord’s residence.
During the course you will make 2 bronze artifacts that will yours to keep.

Day 1 Morning build a furnace capable of reaching temperatures of 1300 degrees and smelt copper from malachite.
Build a smelting furnace, using natural materials such as clay, grog, horse manure and deer hair.

Using a set of hand-made bellows we then bring the furnace up to temperature, crush Malachite and roast it.
We then empty the crucible into the charcoal so it can percolate down and transform into a copper ingot.
We will then use the furnace to pour a bronze replica of an axe into a mould so you can appreciate the full story of how the bronze age period began.

Day 1 afternoon looking at lost wax casting techniques.
Lost wax casting.
During this part of the course you will explore how to work wax into models that you are going to cast into bronze, you will see different types of wax and learn how to shape weld and vent your project,
After making the model in wax you will be shown how to invest it into a mould for casting.

Once we are happy that your wax model is well invested, they will be stored overnight to dry out and prepare for burning out and firing on day 2.
Following this, using modern casting sand you will learn how to pack a mould properly into pre made wooden formers to flat cast bronze artifacts such as knives, axes and swords.

Day 2 Burn out and casting
Your second day involves warming things up, first you burn out the wax and raise the temperature of the mould, while this is happening we will mix copper and tin to create our bronze in a crucible using a gas furnace system, this ensures we have molten metal at the exact time we need it. once you have made your project we will clean away any flash or irregularities to produce a finished work of art in bronze.
This course can accommodate 5 attendants To place a booking and see available dates please view our online shop.
This two-day course is available for £375 per person. Spaces are limited so please confirm early. This course is self catered, refreshments included.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

ONE DAY SWORD MAKING COURSE

Come and make your own Bronze Sword.

This style of sword is called the Ewart Park Leaf and comes from the middle bronze age period approximately 3,000 years ago, Bronze age swords differ greatly in their design but very much portray the skill set of the early metal workers of the bronze age period. This style is not only elegant to look at but is also quite light for a sword weighing around 750 grams making it easy to use in battle.

Event held at Rougham near Bury St Edmunds Suffolk.

During this one day course, you will learn how to make a sand mould and pour your own bronze sword, The sword will then be cleaned up with adbrasives before the final polish and have handles fitted to them.

Finally you will make a leather scabbard for your sword.

Course times, 9.30am-4.30pm

These courses can accommodate 5 attendees.

Held at Grimes Graves, 4000, year old Neolithic flint mines.

This primitive skills 1-day course is an excellent opportunity to teaching you what is available from an animal’s carcass other than just the meat and has been described as “A real stone age awakening”.

The hunter gatherers of the past would have recognised that a hunted animal could provide a vast range of possibilities beyond the feast that it provided.

During the course, you will learn how to butcher a deer, cook the meat over an open fire and enjoy these delicacies for lunch. Then with the aid of flint tools such as scrapers and burins, you will create artifacts that were used during the stone age. Some typical items are shown in the picture below. There is also the option of tanning a small section of hide if you choose.

The course brings this period to life in a most valuable and resourceful way, as you begin to not only understand the time taken to produce small and effective life essentials, but it helps us to value how the whole animal can be consumed and honoured for the life that has been taken.

This course is available for £80 per person for a 1day experience where you have a truly memorable experience and make some new friends during your time with us.

To see the dates and book a place on this course please click here

Each day begins at 9.30am and finishes at 4.30pm

Location. Grimes Graves – Ancient Neolithic Flint Mine

Grimes Graves, Lynford, Thetford, Norfolk, IP26 5DE

LET YOUR CHILD GO WILD DAY

WITH WILL LORD

Prehistoric Survival Days out for Children.

Course takes place on Grimes Graves, 4000 year old Neolithic Flint Mines in Norfolk.

Stone Age experience for children aged 7-16 years.

Will Lord will show you how to survive using the materials in the habitat, just as our ancestors did during the Stone Age, at a time when every day was a survival situation.

The day starts at 9.30am and ends at 3.30pm.

Will Lord excels in all aspects of primitive survival techniques and the day's topics will include:

• Making basic tools from flint & bone.

• Fire starting.

• Cordage - making cordage from natural materials that will help you to trap and bind your prey and every day needs.

• Prehistoric cooking - where you can prepare your own lunch by butchering wild game with flint tools and cook them over the fire.

• Primitive weapons.

• Foraging and survival tips.

These courses are very much guest lead regarding the content, so if there's something that particularly interests you, then mention it to your instructor and they'll try to fit it in.

Will Lord who recently assisted 'Walking The Amazon's" - Ed Stafford -  to prepare for his new TV series called 'Naked & Marooned' will personally take this course.

So a whole day away from their PC, PS3, XBOX and phones to ensure you have a time to remember.

We recommend early booking for this popular workshop.

This course costs £50 for a child accompanied by an adult. Add a second child 1/2 price.

Lunch and drinks are included.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

GRIMES GRAVES ULTIMATE FLINT KNAPPING TOUR

Descend 4000 years into a rarely opened flint mine. Make your own flint axe head, and share in a juicy venison spit roast accompanied by a hearty vegetable stew lunch.

Only opened a few times a year to preserve its rich quality of being untouched, the Cannon Greenwells pit will be opened specially for you during this tour.

4000 year old antlers still laying where they were left by the miners.

Grimes Graves is the largest group of Neolithic 4000 year old Flint mines in the world located in Thetford forest in the heart of Breckland, during your day here you will get to go back 4000 years and experience how flint was mined and used during this period. After a magnificent and hearty lunch you then get to have a go at knapping a flint axe head of your very own. On completion of this day you will have;

– A good understanding of how to choose a piece of flint to make an axe head,

– A basic understanding of the principles of flint knapping,

– A spark of experience that will get you started on your journey to become an experienced flint knapper if that is what you would like to do.

Schedule of the day

9:00am Introductions; Where we all meet up for a brew or coffee and get to know one another.

9:30am Watch how the axes were made with a demonstration of Flint Knapping covering the main skills needed to produce flint tools.

10:00am Gear up; A brief trip to the museum to get fitted up with hats and harnesses, followed by the spectacular decent into the Cannon Greenwells Pit, a truly unspoiled experience that takes you back 4000 years in time.

12:30am The Feast; Go back in time and gorge yourself on a delicious Venison spitroast and some home made chunky vegetable stew!!

1:30pm The art of Flint Knapping demonstrated again to give you the chance to recall the techniques and skills of this ancient craft.

2:00pm The beginning; This is where you start your life journey as a Flint Knapper, pick up the Antler and stone and start striking Flint

4:00pm The conclusion; This is the end of the day, take a moment to step back and let the experience sink in, don’t say good bye, say good journey because you never know when we are going to see each other again

This is a one day course teaching you all you need to know about arrow making for use in traditional longbow archery.

During the course you will make 3 complete arrows.

Hand make the shafts and learn how to set the spine in them correctly to match the bow you use.

Forge the arrowheads from sheet metal.

Splice and lace down the feathers to the shafts, plus reenforcing the nocks with buffalo horn.

The course runs between 9.30am and 4.30pm

The location is in Rougham near Bury St Edmunds Suffolk, full details will be sent to you near to the date of the event.

Drinks will be available during the course but please bring along lunch for yourself during the date.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

FLINT KNAPPING COURSES

Try your hand at the ancient art of Flint Knapping.

Held at Grimes Graves Ancient Flint Mines.

Learn the skill used by our ancestors to create a range of tools such as hand axes, knives, arrowheads and axe heads.

For those with an interest in the prehistoric era, this course offers you a great opportunity to understand the features and characteristics of stone implements.

During the day you will be introduced to the tools that are used for Flint Knapping and shown how and when to use them, You will have clear and well-presented demonstrations of how to make a range of tools covering 3 Periods of the Stone Age, Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. This means you will be shown how to make a hand axe, blade core for tools such as saws and burins, plus pressure flaking for producing fine arrowheads. When your day ends you will be pleased to know you keep the items you have made.

The group course is available for £80 per person

Start time 9.30am, Finish 4.00pm

This course is self-catered but refreshments are included throughout the day.

The course takes place at Grimes Graves, at the 4000 year old Neolithic flint mines, in the heart of Thetford Forest in Breakland Norfolk. Your course includes access to the site and the use of the facilities there including the exhibition and the flint mine open to the public. (During its open season April till October.)

You can also book a personal one-to-one tuition with Will Lord where you will be able to have Will's undivided attention. This is often popular for those who wish to progress further with this complex craft.

Held at Grimes Graves, 4000, year old Neolithic flint mines.

This primitive skills 1-day course is an excellent opportunity to teaching you what is available from an animal’s carcass other than just the meat and has been described as “A real stone age awakening”.

The hunter gatherers of the past would have recognised that a hunted animal could provide a vast range of possibilities beyond the feast that it provided.

During the course, you will learn how to butcher a deer, cook the meat over an open fire and enjoy these delicacies for lunch. Then with the aid of flint tools such as scrapers and burins, you will create artifacts that were used during the stone age. Some typical items are shown in the picture below. There is also the option of tanning a small section of hide if you choose.

The course brings this period to life in a most valuable and resourceful way, as you begin to not only understand the time taken to produce small and effective life essentials, but it helps us to value how the whole animal can be consumed and honoured for the life that has been taken.

This course is available for £80 per person for a 1day experience where you have a truly memorable experience and make some new friends during your time with us.

To see the dates and book a place on this course please click here

Each day begins at 9.30am and finishes at 4.30pm

Location. Grimes Graves – Ancient Neolithic Flint Mine

Grimes Graves, Lynford, Thetford, Norfolk, IP26 5DE