Workshops

Harsha Basu – Migration Stories – Joining the Threads of Chesham’s History

Venue: Chesham Museum
Cost: Free
Timing: 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Date: 13 September to 13 September 2026
Website: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/chesham-museum.html

Join our crafting workshop & add your story to a collaborative sari celebrating Chesham’s diverse community. Explore the “What’s In a Name?” exhibition featuring notable Chesham surnames, including the powerhouses of Chesham’s Victorian industries.

Chesham Museum will be open to visitors from 10am to 3pm. Between 1.30pm to 3pm we are running a special drop-in craft event taking place in the Community Hall in Chesham Town Hall. This free creative embroidery (Kantha) workshop is led by folk artist Harsha Basu and is suitable for all ages and abilities with no previous sewing experience needed!

During this workshop you can create your own unique fabric patch through the gentle and ancient art of Kantha running-stitch embroidery inspired by your own journey, heritage, or local memories.

Every patch created on the day will be sewn into the Sadhana Canopy, a large collaborative sari celebrating Chesham’s diverse community. This installation will be the centrepiece of Chesham Museum’s Migration Stories exhibition, which opens to the public beginning Saturday the 3rd of October 2026.

When you finish making, you can then visit the museum’s newly opened permanent exhibition: What’s in a Name. Discover Chesham’s industrial powerhouse families, such as Barnes, Mead, Webb and Nash, who drove forward the industries that Chesham became renowned for, including brewing, brick-making, brush-making and boot-making. There are plenty of other locally famous names on show for you to delve into – who was Spec? And what about the local Liberty connection?

Each panel features a name, date and explanation, along with an object or photograph.