Welcome to Tinsmiths, Ledbury specialist suppliers of natural woven fabrics for curtains, blinds and upholstery, lighting, studio ceramics and accessories for the home.
Ledbury is a small market town in Herefordshire (West of England) with a particular town plan dating back to medieval times which is based on long thin burgage plots. The idea being that your shop was on the “high street” with your workshop behind, living above and garden (complete with pig sty) at the very back of the plot. Tinsmiths has just such a plot. The original timber-framed Tinsmiths workshop – a place to bring a saucepan for a new handle, an umbrella for a new spoke or a carriage light for a new lens – was sensitively renovated by Alex Clive and opened as the first Tinsmiths in October 2004.
Two years later, the ‘new’ Tinsmiths showroom opened. Designed and built by Alex Clive, the building is still a most unexpected sight as you emerge from the shade of the alleyway approach. The stainless steel and glass building is light and airy – designed to offset its north-facing aspect – and a hand-crafted construction. To find out more about it, view “The Miracle of Ledbury” by Jonathan Glancy.
In 2020, as with so many businesses, the pandemic brought about changes in how we operate. For Tinsmiths this meant reconfiguring how space was used when it became apparent that we had outgrown the stainless steel building. By the end of 2021 our homeware range had moved to its current position on Ledbury’s High Street and a dedicated fabric showroom was created in the original Tinsmiths’ workshop.
Our stainless steel building found new purpose in December 2022 as a show room for Roger Oates Design.
Tinsmiths’ shop front on Ledbury High Street
If you are unable to pay a visit in person the Tinsmiths website is a portal to the range of products we stock. Here, you will find natural linens, striped and checked fabrics, traditional tickings, woollen cloth, oilcloths and printed fabrics. Carefully selected light fittings with core design merits of quality and function. Access to the Tinsmiths Made-to-Measure curtains and blinds service. Domestic pottery and studio ceramics by the best contemporary studio potters practicing today. Hand produced prints and a carefully selected collection of items for the home including hardware and utility items to keep the home running smoothly.
However you choose to approach us we look forward to extending a warm welcome.