“The best 2.5 hours of your week”
(A student said that. I’ve been dining out on it ever since)
10-WEEK SILVERSMITHING COURSES NEAR TONBRIDGE, KENT
These aren’t polite little hobby sessions. My 10-week courses are for people who want proper time at the bench, real skills under their belt, and the confidence that comes from showing up week after week and actually making things.
They run in my garden studio in Hildenborough, just outside Tonbridge, with free parking outside.
HOW IT WORKS
Courses run on weekdays over a full term, with a break for half-term, roughly in line with school terms. Roughly. This is a studio, not a timetable cult.
Each class is two and a half hours. Classes are capped at five people (with a minimum of four for a class to run), so there’s plenty of individual help, zero elbow-jostling, and a small, brilliant group to bounce ideas off.
Beginners and improvers are both welcome. You’ll be guided when you need it, left to get on with things when you don’t, and gently pushed when you’re capable of more than you think.
Tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits are always included. Cake and chocolate make surprise appearances. Creativity is fed accordingly.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Each term has a theme and a set of project ideas pitched at beginner, improver and advanced level, so a first-timer and a returning student can work side by side. Recent themes include Armour, Inheritance, Constellation and Weathered.
Along the way you’ll pick up the core of the craft: sawing, filing, soldering, forming, texturing and finishing, then stone setting, riveting, hinges, flush setting and fold-forming as you’re ready for them. The things an afternoon simply can’t reach.
Got your own idea? Bring it. Ignoring the brief is allowed.
DATES AND PRICE
£290 per person, per term.
2.5hrs per class.
The autumn term is now running. The next term starts the week of Monday 4th January 2027.
Mondays: 1pm to 3.30pm, and 6.30pm to 9pm
Tuesdays: 10am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 3.30pm
Wednesdays: 10am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 3.30pm
Silver isn’t included in the course fee, because it depends entirely on what you decide to make. Alf can advise you on bullion suppliers and help you place your first few orders.
BOOKING
Places are offered first come, first served, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. To book, email me with the day and time you’d like.
If your ideal slot is full, I keep a waiting list.
Already one of my students?
Friday pay-as-you-go sessions are open to current students for extra bench time and catch-ups: £29 for two and a half hours. Book them as far ahead as you can.
Bring a friend: if someone you refer books and pays for the very next term, you get 20% off your next term.
WHAT STUDENTS SAY
“Thoroughly enjoyable course. I learn something new every week!” Cindy
“Alf helped me get to grips with my new hobby by starting me off on simple projects, so I would get used to the processes and gain confidence." Becky
“Love my morning silversmithing class and can't now imagine the week without it!" Sandra
THE PRACTICAL BIT
Garden studio in Hildenborough, near Tonbridge, Kent. Free parking outside.
Total beginners welcome. Genuinely.
Minimum age 18.
All tools and tuition included. Silver is extra.
If you’re looking for a well-equipped studio, proper tuition, and ten weeks of lively, focused and satisfying making, this is where you’ll find it.
Because ordinary is everywhere. Be Everyday Brave.
