Traditional Art Shop and Unique Attraction in a 17th Century Town House in Appleby, supplying painting materials
Five days. Historic Colours to your palette.
Between Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Your journey unfolds between the Lake District and North Pennines—two UNESCO-designated landscapes where geology, industry, and art have intertwined for millennia. Access sites and knowledge unavailable anywhere else in Britain.
Lake District World Heritage Cultural Landscape. Home to Honister slate, Borrowdale graphite, and centuries of artistic inspiration from Turner to Ruskin.
North Pennines Global Geopark. Britain's last remaining lead mining landscape, source of galena, cerussite, and the verditer pigments that colored medieval manuscripts.
Your Journey
Five Days, Twenty Centuries
Day 01: Sunday Evening Arrival & Foundations
Welcome to The Colour Makers House in historic Appleby-in-Westmorland. Please go ahead and settle. into your room at Appleby Manor, where Beatrix Potter's family once resided.
- Evening introduction to pigment alchemy
- Handle raw materials from British sources
- Historical overview: Roman to Victorian pigments
- The Carlisle Tyrian Purple discovery
Day 02: Monday Copper Alchemy & Roman Heritage
Begin with hands-on alchemy, creating verdigris and other copper-based pigments, and then embark on an expedition to Hadrian's Wall to understand Roman mining interests.
- Create verdigris using traditional techniques.
- Visit Birdoswald Fort on Hadrian's Wall
- Understand Roman imperial colour—afternoon economics.
- Field sketching with your pigments.
Day 03: Tuesday The Lead & Silver Story
Full-day excursion to Killhope Victorian Lead Mine in the North Pennines UNESCO Global Geopark. Experience industrial-scale mining and create artist-scale pigments.
- Underground mine tour at Killhope
- Victorian mining heritage exploration
- Create lead white and verditer pigments.
- Connect industrial scale to artist practice.
Day 04: Wednesday Lake District Expedition
Journey through the colour, the UNESCO Lake District World Heritage Site. Visit Borrowdale's historic graphite mines and Honister Slate Mine. Create pigments from the landscape itself.
- Borrowdale graphite heritage
- Honister Slate Mine experience
- Create slate-based pigments
- Understand geological .origins
Day 05: Thursday Ochres, Manuscripts & Completion
Morning session with earth pigments and ochres. Visit Shap Abbey to connect with the medieval tradition of manuscript illumination. Complete your pigment collection.
- Process local ochres and earth pigments
- Visit Shap Abbey ruins
- Medieval manuscript connection
- Final session: binding mediums and paint-making
- Depart with comprehensive knowledge and materials
What Makes This Different
Why Five Days Change Everything
Master knowledge that exists nowhere else - endangered craft techniques practised by one person in Britain
Transform your artistic practice - never see materials the same way again
Gain competitive differentiation - traditional craft authority in a mass-produced market.
Connect your work to geological time - pigments literally from the British landscape
Join 2,000 years of heritage - become part of an unbroken artistic tradition
Develop sustainable skills - create pigments from your own local materials
All Inclusive
Luxury Accommodation
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Four nights at historic Appleby Manor Hotel with a daily full breakfast in a Grade II listed building.
You might want to spend another night so you can indulge in the best Spa experience money can buy in Cumbria.
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Professional minibus service to all sites with expert geological and historical commentary throughout.
Guided tours of Hadrian's Wall, Killhope Mine, Honister Slate, and Shap Abbey included
All Materials & Tools
Private Transportation and Guided Tours
Professional-grade glass muller and plate, use of antique bronze pestle and mortar, raw materials, and binding mediums and the opportunity to forage for raw materials
Comprehensive Resources
Historical documentation, technique guides, and continuing support
Personal instruction from Mark Hilsden, BBC-featured expert with 30+ years of experience
Personal Pigment Collection
Your complete set of handmade pigments from British geological sources, professionally packaged for ease of travel
Award-Winning Meals Included
Award-winning dining at Appleby Manor, recognised by AA, Michelin, and Egon Ronay. Choose from seasonal à la carte or relaxed bistro menus featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Enjoy panoramic Eden Valley views from the conservatory.