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Visitor Comments

  • “Wonderful exhibits. Some unusual art and very varied. Thoroughly enjoyed it.”
    – L Smith

  • “My wife and I visited the Craft event yesterday and wanted to say how much we enjoyed our day. The crafts on display were delightful, varied, and of good quality. The music in the Marquee was exceptional. We're looking forward to next year.”
    – I Ridgers

  • “Wonderful event showcasing such a great range of British talent, skill and creativity.”
    – F Hooper

  • “A very enjoyable fair – the nicest I have seen.”
    – J Salter

  • “As always the craft highlight of the year. Nothing else comes close in quality and diversity.”
    – F Beckerman

  • “I am always impressed, ‘wonder’ at the diverse and inspiring talent there is across all those exhibiting – but I have to say Wisley this year was truly remarkable, outstanding. Superb. Stunning!”
    – I Waterhouse, Waterlooville

  • “Brilliant event with lots of outstanding artists.”
    – J Whiley

  • “Fabulous show, such quality exhibitors – so talented. Thank you for being selective.”
    – R Yardy

  • “The standard of work and craftsmanship was exceptional/outstanding. Have made recommendations to friends/family”
    – H Scates, Hook

  • “I’ve just had a grand day at Wisley, with the craft fair as the main draw. The artists are so clever - it was stunning to see all the designs they produced.”
    – J Bennett-Powell

  • “Amazing exhibit of pure talent – well showcased!”
    – W Tomlin

  • “Lovely craft fair with stunning products for sale.”
    – M Barnett
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West Horsley Place - A Brief History

West Horsley PlaceWest Horsley Place is a Grade I listed medieval manor house and estate of great beauty and historic significance. The manor house dates from 1425, though there has been a building on the site since Saxon times. The house is currently on Historic England’s At Risk Register.

The house has had many illustrious owners and visitors, with strong connections to royalty down the centuries. Sir James de Berners a close friend of Richard II was executed by him in 1388. Henry VIII owned West Horsley Place himself for two separate periods in the 1530s and 1540s. Elizabeth I visited twice; once for an entire week in 1559, bringing her court with her and building a temporary theatre in the garden for their entertainment. In the seventeenth century Sir Edward Nicholas was First Secretary to both Charles I and Charles II. In more recent times Queen Mary, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret have been guests.

West Horsley PlaceThe exquisite red brick façade that greets visitors today was built around 1650, when Carew Raleigh (son of Sir Walter Raleigh) owned the estate. Records show that he spent £2000 improving and updating the manor house in effort to make it more fashionable; the façade was built in the very latest Dutch gabled style. It is actually a free-standing wall built on its own foundations and loosely attached to the medieval timber-framed core of the building.

West Horsley PlaceWest Horsley Place is full of a thousand years of stories. Guy Fawkes was a footman here and his master Lord Montague was sent to the Tower on suspicion of being involved with the Gunpowder Plot. Sir Walter Raleigh’s head was brought here by his widow (we have the bag she kept it in) and buried under the stairs. You can find out more by taking a guided tour of the house during the Craft Fair.

Bamber Gascoigne inherited the house in 2014 from his aunt Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, whose parents bought it in 1931. Bamber and his wife Christina created the Mary Roxburghe Trust to rescue and restore the manor house, outbuildings and wider estate and to give it a bright future as a vibrant centre for the performing and visual arts and teaching of crafts. West Horsley Place is a location for films and television dramas including My Cousin Rachel, Vanity Fair and Ghosts.

Further details can be found here.

Only the best

Craft In Focus events have earned an enviable reputation for selecting only the very best professional designers, artists and craftmakers for their individuality and innovation in contemporary design.

British made

We have no imported or mass-produced work on show. Our talented craftmakers create highly collectable textiles, paintings, furniture, metal, leather, ceramics, jewellery, glass, fashion and much more...