18-05-2025
Inside the workshops where Britain's rarest crafts still survive
On a trip to Florence, as those around him gazed up at the paintings, Thomas Greenaway was staring at the floor.
The marble-inlaid floors and tabletops were his first introduction to the art of pietra dura, 'painting in stone', a craft so rare he is now the only professional in the UK who still practises it.
Greenaway is one of the artists highlighted by the Heritage Crafts red list, which tracks skills at risk of extinction in the UK. While some still have a few dozen practitioners, a select few 'critically endangered' crafts such as pietra dura are down to their final maker.
After returning inspired from Florence, Greenaway found the skill had entirely disappeared from the UK. With no tutors here, he spent
