Established in 1983 as a Charity, our aim is to advance the education of the general public in the history and development of hand tools and their use and of the people and trades that use them. But what does that actually mean?

This site is not just for collectors, or historians, but also the curious, with members worldwide. This covers any activity or craft where tools are used - book binding, leather work, sail making, boat building, cabinet making, printing, animal husbandry, metal working, wheelwrights, cider making, glove making, the list is endless, and how these implements have evolved over centuries.

This site is for researchers into social history but it is also for the young to explore something they picked up at the local car boot sale, or found in a skip, to encourage an interest and perhaps a craft.

This site is also for craftsmen and women to learn how different tools were used and to what effect, and for discussion, for mutual learning and exchange of information. There are social events and volunteering opportunities with like-minded and interested people and expert advice.

Explore further! If this is your first visit, the New Visitors page explains more about our activities. 

Joining TATHS makes sense, whatever your level of interest. You will be able find like minded enthusiasts and share your interests with them at local or national events and through our publications.