What’s it about

The Traditional Arrow Making Workshop - This exciting workshop runs over four days and aims to gives you the knowledge and skills to make a range of Arrows from modern target style arrows, primitive hunter gather arrows and also medieval war arrows that you'll make using traditional medieval methods. Over the three days you'll work with sawn out timber you'll prepare yourselves and self arrows made from stems of shrubs with excellent qualities for arrow making. Tracing back the designs to the earliest arrows of Europe’s Mesolithic hunter gathers, through to the those great Arrows of war. On this workshop we make and discover how our ancestors made Arrows to suit there needs of warfare or hunter gather lifestyles. Self Arrow designs using round wood timber we prepare and fell ourselves in Sussex and Bushman style arrows.

Course Content

Material selection, species selection, carpentry techniques, deflection and spineing arrows, horn nock inserts, feathers, cutting and preparing feathers, self nocks, primitive glues, medieval glues, modern glues, fletchings, whipping and binding, modern points/piles, medieval bodkins and primitive arrow heads. This workshop is all about the history and techniques of how we evolved to become so sophisticated and successful using different wood designs and materials throughout our past. .

Duration

The course is run over 4 days, however the first day you arrive in the evening at 5pm for setting up your camps and a early evening informal talk on bow history and design. 

Fees

The cost of this course is £325 per person. We will invoice for the remaining £225 6-4 weeks prior to the course start date. The deposit guarantees your place on the course. 

Catering

This course is part catered offering an evening meal only and we can accommodate meat and vegetarian diets, if you have allergies, a specific or complicated diet or are a strict vegan then you will have to make arrangements to supplement the food provided with your own provisions..

Progression

The Traditional Longbow making workshop – set over four days where we focus on wooden bows which historically have informed so much of life in this temperate home of ours. Tracing back the designs to earliest bows of Europe’s Mesolithic hunter gathers, through to the those great weapons of war. On this workshop we make and discover how our ancestors made bows to suit there needs of warfare or hunter gather lifestyles. Self bow designs using round wood timber we prepare and fell ourselves in Sussex. 

Details 

Upon booking you'll receive in-depth joining instructions in the form of PDFs with a recommended kit list, directions. course information and Medical form. Please do check your spam folder after booking as sometimes emails with attachments are filtered out your inbox. 

The course is set entirely in the outdoors from our comfortable expedition style camp. Appropriate warm outdoor clothing is required. 

Camping & Facilities  

Woodland camping is included at no extra cost. However this is not a course requirement, there's plenty of local B&Bs/hotels available.  

The Course is now run from the comfort of our woodland workshop nestled deep in the woods facilities include. 

• Heated workshop 
• kitchen
• Showers 
• Toilets 
• Camping included in the woods or field campsite. 

Tools 

All tools are provided however you may find it very useful to have one of our own Bow Making Scrapers. Ideal for this course. Please find more details here. https://www.philbrookelongbows.co.uk/product/phil-brooke-longbows-two-handed-cabinet-scraper/226/ 

Social Media

A picture paints a thousand words so please check out our social media to see pictures from the workshops. https://www.instagram.com/philbrookelongbows/

Dates and times 2025

Please select the workshop & dates you'd like from the drop down menu below. The workshops places are updated daily.

1. Traditional Arrow Making Workshop -July - Thu 24th (Arrive Thu 5pm) - Fri 25th - Sat 26th - Sun 27th July 2025 -  Finishes on the last day 4pm) (places available)

This exciting workshop runs over four days and aims to gives you the knowledge and skills to make a range of Arrows from modern target style arrows, primitive hunter gather arrows and also medieval war arrows that you'll make using traditional medieval methods.

2. Traditional Arrow Forging Workshop - August -  Fri 1st  (Arrive Fri 5pm) - Sat 2nd - Sun 3rd 

Join Bowyer Phil Brooke and Joe Garnett, head blacksmith at Thorn Wood Forge, on a 2 day arrowhead smithing course. You will learn the traditional skills of blacksmithing and apply them to successfully hand forge your own medieval arrowheads.

PLEASE NOTE IF FORGING: Please wear old clothes made of jean/cotton material. Synthetic materials will melt if you drop a hot workpiece on them, and no open toe shoes. PPE will be provided. The course can be physically quite arduous, so please get in touch prior to booking if you have any medical concerns.

For Any further questions please feel free to contact us directly.

Location 

Near Hellingly East Sussex 

Course size 

8 max (places available)

Reviews

Josh Smith

"What a delightful rabbit hole to go down! The idea of being able to make a set of arrows from a square plank of wood has always appealed to me but while there’s heaps of information/courses on the interwebs about bow making there’s nothing that I’ve found about the age old science and art of arrow making… until now! This is a truly exceptional course, and no doubt due to Phil’s deep knowledge of both the historic backdrop of the craft and his years of experience in working with the materials. Thanks to his patient instruction, I am mega pleased with the arrows I’ve made. Moreover, I now have the skills and knowledge to arecreate them on my own as our ancestors did, both medieval and pre-historic. Epic course, of which I can highly recommend!"

 

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