Keswick School of Industrial Art (KSIA) was founded in 1884 by Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley and his wife Edith as an evening class of repoussé‚ metalwork in the Crosthwaite Parish Rooms, just outside Keswick, Cumbria.
Copper had been mined for many years nearby in the Lake District but operations had declined by the time the School was founded; supplies of copper sheet were obtained commercially.
Rawnsley was a close friend of John Ruskin, whose art and writings laid the foundation of the Arts and crafts movement.
The School prospered and swiftly developed a reputation for high quality copper and silver decorative metalwork. By 1890 the School was exhibiting nationally and winning prizes.
The school closed in 1984, having faced increasing pressure from imported goods.
Keswick Museum and Art Gallery is currently collecting and displaying many of the school's works.
Further reading
- The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Lake District: a Social History by Jennie Brunton. ISBN 978-1-86220-111-8
- The Loving Eye and Skilful Hand: The Keswick School of Industrial Arts by Ian Bruce. (2001) published by Bookcase.
Coordinates: 54°36′17″N 3°08′41″W / 54.6046°N 3.1448°W
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