GLASS BLOWING LESSONS - INFO ON OUR CLASSES IN LANGPORT (TA10 9RB)
2020
If you had a class booked that was cancelled due to Covid-19 we will have sent you an email in late September to rearrange your lesson [check junk if missed!]. We resume in October.
The Taster Class - Saturdays at various dates throughout the year. We are resuming our Glass Blowing Taster Classes in October. In normal times we would have 4 participants together and the class would last from 9.30 to 1-1.30 approximately, each person having their 'goes' in turn, you all talking to Will about glassblowing, his work, cider drinking etc etc. We now plan to teach in pairs, the first pair from 9.30 to 11.30, and the second pair from midday to 2pm. This means your actual teaching time will be as before but your contact time with others will be limited to just Will, your tutor and one other person, social distancing being followed. Please note, If you have a group of four from your own 'bubble' you can book the whole morning and come together.
£98.00 per person
The taster class will give people an opportunity to try their hand at blowing a small clear vessel and a small dish, and to experience the unique problems that working with a molten material pose. Basic glassmaking techniques such as gathering, marvering and blowing will be included. With help you will make two small items.
Materials included. Your glass pieces need to cool slowly so can be collected the following week as advised by us. Alternatively we can ship them for £10 per person.
Saturday morning sessions start at 9.30am. Sessions are approximately 3 1/2 hours long.
Click here to buy a voucher and see dates
The Day Class – Friday or Saturday at dates throughout the year. Maximum 3 per class. £379 each. Please contact us regarding this class.
9.30am to 4.30/5.00 pm. All materials included.
Under the expert tuition of Will Shakspeare this day class will give you an opportunity to try your hand at blowing a small clear vessel and dish in the morning. After lunch you will start to explore basic colour techniques, making a coloured blown vessel and a paperweight. You will gain an insight into the highly skilled craft of glass blowing and have an understanding of the years of training that go into producing blown glass.
Each student is personally supervised and guided through the processes from start to finish by Will. Will has a wealth of teaching experience and has been filmed for television and featured in the press many times. He will talk about his work, his influences and glass making during the course of the day.
The Masterclass – one to one tutoring with Will. At a mutually convenient date to be arranged. £899
9.30am to 4.30/5.00pm. All materials included. Also included light lunch, tea/coffee, and onward shipping of your made pieces
A whole day of one to one tuition with Will Shakspeare. This is an intensive and hands on class and you will be making each piece yourself.
Our Master Class is designed to be more flexible than our other classes. It can be tailored to complete beginners or to someone who has already had some tuition and would like to learn more.
Each student is personally supervised and guided through the processes from start to finish by Will. Will has a wealth of teaching experience and has been filmed for television and featured in the press many times. He will talk about his work, his influences and glass making during the course of the day.
Glass blowing is potentially dangerous. You will be given a safety talk before the session begins and you will be expected to listen and act on the instructions.
"A truly wonderful, but exhausting, way to spend a Saturday morning. My hat goes off to you Will. Thanks for your patience, laughter and assistance. Would definitely recommend the taster course to all my 'fit' friends." - Sharon
"Thank you so much for a really fun invective, creative morning. Haven't been out of my comfort for a long time. Will, you are extremely patient and tolerant teacher as well as being very patient with complete idiots. Looking forward to picking up my pieces. Thank you again. Have really recommended to all friends to do the session. - Nicola
"I just wanted to say what a Glass Blowing course you guys run. It's really nice to have such an entertaining guy as Will teaching us. It was very well structured, amusing and engrossing all at once. I will definitely be recommending it." - Ian Davies
"Will, you made it all such fun – and I was thrilled at how many things I actually made. Thank you for such a fantastic time."
"Last night a friend and I visited the Shakspeare Glass Gallery in Taunton for a glass blowing lesson. The teacher, Will, led us through the processes of blowing a couple of objects with varying degrees of success which was fascinating in itself, but I haven't laughed so much in ages. The irreverent approach combined with an obvious passion for the joys of glass blowing helped make it a superb evening"
"Thank you so much for the glassblowing day. We had a ball! We never dreamt we would enjoy it that much – one of the best presents I have ever had."
We try to keep sessions flexible. If you can organise your own group of four people for any session we can often teach on a different night or a particular day. Please give us a call.
Terms and Conditions
Sorry, but we have to take advance payment to guarantee places. You can pay over the phone with a credit card, pop in and see us or send a cheque. Once a date is booked payment is non refundable. If you need to change the date, for whatever reason, we will try to refill it, if given reasonable notice, but this is not guaranteed. We can not run courses unless they are full, in which case we will offer alternative dates or give a refund to anyone already booked on the date.
We reserve the right to cancel classes due to unforeseen circumstances and will try and give as much notice as possible if this arises. In the event of cancellation we will offer an alternative date or full refund. Shakspeare Glass cannot accept liability for consequential loss, such as travel or accommodation, in these circumstances.
WARNING
At the risk of stating the obvious, glass blowing is physically demanding. If you struggle to do any physical exercise, can't run up the stairs or bend, crouch and stand up easily, then this is probably not for you. It can be dangerous for me, you and your fellow participants if you can not control the blowing irons easily and for the whole duration of your 'go's'. If you have a disability or medical condition which affects you in any way, please discuss this with us before you book. If you have a hearing impediment be advised that the workshop has a high level of background noise which can make it very difficult to hear any instructions, and so making the session potentially dangerous for yourself, the other participants and me! Unfortunately, if you wear a hearing aid we would advise you that glass blowing is not a good idea. We do reserve the right, on the evening or day, to not allow you to take part in the session if we feel, in view of health and safety, that you are not going to be safe. We have had to turn a couple of people away in the past as they had not made us aware of their situation in advance. You will be given a short talk about safety before you start the lesson and you will be expected to follow these instructions at all times. Participants must be 18 years of age and above.
DEMONSTRATIONS
We do evening demonstrations for clubs and groups. Generally these consist of a couple of explained demonstrations, where you can ask Will questions as he is making the piece. There is also the chance for a few of the braver souls to have a quick go themselves. There is a charge for evening demos, £250 as of 1/1/2020.
Day visits by groups. Occasionally we welcome small groups such as WI [10-20 people] by prior arrangement. For a small charge per head [minimum £50 is obligatory] we can offer tea/coffee and homemade cakes and a short explained glass blowing demonstration along the lines of an informal question and answer session. For more information please get in touch.
