College of the Peak

College of the Peak specialises in one- and two-day or longer practical courses in heritage building skills and rural crafts. These include timber frame building, lime renders, heritage roofing, stone masonry and straw bale building – all built on the firm foundations of its acclaimed dry stone walling programme, Walls for the Future.
Man weaving a willow panel

The college has taken a lead in promoting education for sustainable development. It has a national reputation for innovative training in conservation programmes including heritage building skills and rural crafts and is now extending the work into sustainability and the environment.

A three-day woodland crafts course covers coppicing, charcoal burning and willow hurdle creation; felling small trees and pole lathing. Also on offer is the Heritage Skills National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

Future plans will help people tap into and understand the rapidly expanding energy conservation industry with courses such as green Do-It-Yourself, creating a more eco-friendly home and solar panels and heat pumps.

The college is an approved Lantra (the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land based sector) and City and Guilds centre and has an excellent track record of working in partnership with local learning providers such as schools, colleges and craft/trade organisations.

Its courses, both accredited and non-accredited, are aimed at small businesses, conservation officers and local authorities, architects, schools, special interest groups, professional organisations, and the general public.

We can also run short, bespoke courses, for business or pleasure, for groups of around 10 on a date to suit you.

You can find out more about our College of the Peak activities follow the link below.

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