Artelium’s Sussex Christmas Makers Market
Sunday, 29th November
With a diverse range of items from ceramics and textiles to jewellery and homeware, our Makers Market is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the creativity and craftsmanship of our talented friends and discover the stories behind each and every piece.
We’ll have food and drink flowing all day, with wine tastings taking place in our tasting room, keeping you fed, watered & wined.
MEET THE MAKERS
THE SUSSEX BEE
The Sussex Bee is a small-scale apiary, nestled in the heart of Sussex, run by Lia, in partnership with over 1 million bees.
Having tended to bees since childhood, Lia has learned the art of beekeeping from her father, who has cared for honeybees for over fifty years – and still does so to this day.
Wishing to reignite fond beekeeping memories of her past, Lia established two colonies of her own in 2014 and now manages over 20 hives.
Lia’s traditional wooden beehives are located in ancient woodland, in the village of Ansty, overlooking two naturally seeded wildflower fields. The diversity of this flora is reflected in the flavour of The Sussex Bee honey. Each hand poured batch is unique in taste, showcasing seasonal variations of the Sussex countryside.
KATHARINE RABSON STARK
Katharine works in clay and cloth, aiming to capture the memory of walking in the Sussex countryside in her collectable, unique work. She makes hand-built clay vessels that use the pinch and coil method and smoke fired using gathered materials: bracken, thistledown, dock and dandelion. These ceramics are accompanied by textile work, carefully patched and stitched pieces made from calico which is dyed and stained using materials such as hawthorn, sloes and acorns and rusty metal.
NANCY MEILAND
Nancy Meiland is a perfumer and trained nose who shaped her career designing signature scents for those coveting something highly individual and special. She believes that every scent you choose to envelop yourself with defines and redefines your space, helping project the image of you that you want to convey.
Her inspirations take root in nature’s wildest landscapes, using natural botanicals to interpret a sense of space and time. She has created a scent universe with perfume expressions for every palette and an abiding sense of natural alchemy.
Before launching Nancy Meiland Parfums, Nancy’s decade-long journey through fragrance also saw her co-run the former School of Perfumery, consult for independent perfume houses and speak at events nationwide.
LOUISE DIFFORD
Louise is a Print Maker/Artist based in East Sussex, offering both original hand carved prints and high quality giclée editions.
Her work consists of bold, contemporary prints alongside more subdued monochrome pieces - celebrating both nature and urban culture.
J. COCOA
J.Cocoa make carefully crafted Chocolate from scratch. The project was born from the curiosity of founder James, who asked: 'why don't chocolate companies make their own chocolate?'
James set about ethically sourcing cacao beans from around the world, hand-roasting, stone grinding & conching in his factor at the foot of the South Downs. Every J.Cocoa chocolate variety has its own unique flavour profile, naturally occurring through the use of different cocoa bean varieties, grown in different countries, regions, soil and climates. James only uses organic ingredients and all J.cocoa packaging is zero waste.
ELENA LONDON
elena London started with one aim: home fragrance that still smells amazing months later. reed diffusers, room sprays and wax melts, hand-poured in small batches, vegan and non-toxic. Recently awarded Best Small-Batch Home Fragrance Brand UK 2026 by LUXLife magazine.
KATE MCMINNIES
Kate McMinnies’ work explores ideas around connection and communication, the curving contours of her work representing the undulating hills and furrows of the Downs, ever changing with light, season and perspective.
Kate also responds to her landscape by using local, foraged materials. She will be bringing a selection of hand-thrown vases made from warm-coloured South Downs clay, along with elegant porcelain Christmas tree decorations which also utilise local, felled wood.
LISA DEAR BASKETRY
Lisa Dear is an artist and maker living close to the land.
Through willow basketry, she creates functional objects with aesthetic and cultural value—pieces that quietly reconnect daily life to nature.
Lisa works with English (Somerset and Sussex) grown willow and other locally sourced materials from the hedgerow and coppice, hazel, sycamore, chestnut, elm and oak, creating traditional and contemporary baskets for everyday use including shoppers, handbags, storage and garden /foraging baskets.
RUTH WATERS
Living in Sussex, Ruth's collages are inspired by the local landscape. She's been shortlisted twice for the World Illustration Awards and received the Highly Commended Artist Award from Brighton Open Houses. Original artwork, prints, cards and calendars will be available at the Christmas market.
PINCH STUDIOS
Emily of Pinch Studios is an illustrator and potter based in West Sussex.
She is greatly inspired by nature, earth tones and the outdoors! These quietly run through her work, along with a sense of whimsy. She makes and decorates each piece by hand using a variety of clays, mainly working with traditional hand-building techniques like coiling and slab building. She has also more recently started to throw on a potters wheel.
Before working with clay, Emily studied Marine Biology and later completed a Master's in Illustration.
MON JOLI GOODS
Each bag begins with the materials Rachel Galbraith discovers — one-off hides, industry offcuts, and textiles gathered throughout her travels.
Her process isn’t bound by traditional methods; as a self-taught maker, she works instinctively, finding ways to bring each piece together using whatever tools and techniques are at hand. The result is a collection of small-batch, handcrafted bags and accessories.
MELANIE OSTLER
Working from her garden studio in the beautiful South Downs, Melanie creates elegant, timeless jewellery inspired by the natural world and the organic forms she discovers on her daily dog walks. Working predominantly in silver and gold vermeil, her designs combine precious and semi-precious stones with beautifully considered details. Having designed a collection for Charleston Farmhouse, her latest work explores the unique beauty of dendritic agate, where every stone tells its own story
HENSTONE DISTILLERY
Henstone Distillery was established in Oswestry, Shropshire, United Kingdom in 2017 by Chris and Alexandra Toller. The family-runEnglish distillery produces award-winning single malt whisky, gin and a wide range of other spirits. They have been the Gin Guide Distillery of the Year 2026, 2023 & 2020.
Henstone is also the distillery in which our Artelium Collaborators Vermouth and Artelium Collaborators Gin are made, so it is extra special to have them with us at this years makers market!
