It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Professor Simon Olding, former Director of the Crafts Study Centre. Simon retired at the end of October, after twenty years as Director of the CSC. He had been ill since early summer and passed away peacefully on 19 November 2022.

We are enormously thankful that Simon was able to pay a final visit to the Crafts Study Centre on 10 November for a small retirement celebration, and that we were able to show him how deeply we all cared for him. He was incredibly moved by the fundraising for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (which stood at nearly £2,800 at that point) and by the heartfelt and heartwarming messages which accompanied it. We were able to show him the design for a plaque celebrating his retirement to be placed at Coombe Bissett Down, and Simon was even able to pay a visit there in the sunshine just a couple of days later.

Simon was a rare gentleman and delightful colleague; we will miss him greatly. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

From the Crafts Study Centre team

ORIGINAL MESSAGE

Professor Simon Olding will be retiring as Director of the Crafts Study Centre at the end of October 2022, having celebrated his twentieth anniversary in August. It is a day none of us have been looking forward to – Simon has been an incredible colleague, a wonderful boss, and a great friend to so many of us during his time at the Crafts Study Centre, and it won’t be the same without him.

Simon joined the Centre in 2002, shortly after its move to Farnham. Over the last twenty years he has established a vibrant exhibitions programme, overseen the acquisition of some very significant object and archives collections (his love of ‘brown pots’ is legendary), and published several works on his research into the collections of Bernard Leach.

We would like to honour Simon’s retirement by celebrating his non-craft based passions – his love of walking and of the Wiltshire countryside – by raising funds to support the work of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, especially at Coombe Bissett Down near Salisbury.

Instead of cards and gifts we invite you to make a donation to the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and share your memories and good wishes for Simon’s retirement on this page. We will then share this page with him when he comes in to say his farewells on 10 November.

From the Crafts Study Centre team