This feature celebrates three exceptional labels available at The Longship championing British design, sustainability, and craftsmanship. From Kate Sheridan's vegetable-tanned leather accessories to Wallace Sewell's contemporary woven textiles and Cotswold Knit's hand-knitted lambswool garments, these makers showcase the creativity and care at the heart of modern British making.
“The gardener digs in another time, without past or future, beginning or end. A time that does not cleave the day with rush hours, lunch breaks, the last bus home. As you walk in the garden you pass into this time – the moment of entering can never be remembered. Around you the landscape lies transfigured. Here is the Amen beyond the prayer.”
When founding Tait & Style, Ingrid knew she didn’t want conventional fashion photography. It was friend and photographer Gunnie Moberg who was able to capture the bold and eccentric style of Ingrid’s textiles, combined with the uniqueness of the land and people of Orkney
The late Tam Macphail, owner of Stromness Books & Prints or ‘Tam’s Bookshop’ as many knew it, is a remarkable artist to feature in Kettle’s Yard.
It may surprise some Orcadians that Tam was such a highly regarded sculptor, exhibited next to the likes of Joan Miro and Ben Nicholson. For many, the Tam we remember is the slow-walking, quick-witted Stromness resident and bookseller.
The Longship has been a family business since 1859. With Mother’s Day in mind, Ola Gorie’s daughter Ingrid Tait remembers growing up with a pioneering jeweller as a mum and the early days of the 'Ola Gorie Story'.
Gordon Parks was one of the most important photographers of twentieth-century. Once a weapon to oppress the black body through colonial documentation and surveillance, the camera has been reclaimed by the likes of Parks and other black photographers.
For a small group of islands, Orkney has produced an impressive number of writers. Most famously, George Mackay Brown created a vision of the islands and their people - 'fishermen with ploughs' - so powerful that it shaped how many see and think of Orkney. But what about 21st century Orkney? Who will tell its stories and sing its songs?
Emma McDowall is a creative female entrepreneur, based in Edinburgh. What started off as experimental fun in her parent’s shed, soon became an in-demand product when Emma shared photos of her works on social media. The colour palettes and textures brought to everyday objects, such as clocks and trays are sold world-over, from Iceland to the US…and now in the Longship, Kirkwall!
