Maker's bio

Welcome! I'm Phil Parkes. I use traditional hand crafting methods to create maille armour, based on historical research of original items. I really enjoy showing people the process of making maille and seeing them come away with something they've made themselves as well as a new confidence in using tools and an appreciation of what was involved in making maille in the past! The skills and techniques are accessible to anyone: I've worked with our local primary school, families at community events and adult workshops, and all have really enjoyed creating their own items and learning more. My experience with teaching led me to create 'Wooden Maille' kits to help teach the skills involved in putting together patterns and tailoring. I'm a member of the Heritage Crafts Association - as a maille maker I'm on their list of Critically Endangered Crafts and won the award of Wales Maker of the Year 2024. My career has been in professionally conserving archaeological finds and teaching those skills as a Professor in Conservation at Cardiff University.