We at Richard Head Longbows
have over 30
years experience in making quality Longbows (current waiting time
5
months for bows) and Arrows and supplying all the traditional
archery
equipment/accessories and materials via our fast (we are not a high
street
shop) mail order service. Items
such
as tabs, leather
bracers,
leather quivers,
brass/steel
piles, feather fletchings, 9/32 1/4
5/16 11/32 23/64 3/8 wooden arrow shafts, horn bow nocks, horn
tips, knife
blades, Archery books such as Hugh Soars new book out now Secrets
of the English War Bow, plastic nocks, Lemonwood, bow staves,
Longbow
DIY kits, targets, fletching jigs,
medieval
replicas, Bodkins, Longbow
strings,
Longbow arrows and all Longbow accessories.
The Target bows we produce are The English Longbow based on
the Victorian pattern (bows such as a Self
Yew bow, Purple
Heart Triple Laminate etc...) a time when the Longbow came into
fashion as a sport for the upper classes. |
|
|
A Recent Commission
|
|
|
A customer
approached us to make a Triple Laminate Longbow with a gold arrow plate
that has 3 diamonds set in it, the customer had the arrow plate made
for
him by a jeweler using a diamond ring the customer owned.
|
|
The
Victoria and Albert
Museum
|
|
Some of our
workmanship has been on show in this commissioned piece of work
at
the `V and A` as part of the `Uncomfortable
Truths` exhibition.
The
exhibition has now closed.
|
 |
 |
| Lindsay
shooting
a Victorian Style Bow |
Richard
Drawing
a Medieval Style Bow |
|
|
As well as The Victorian Longbow, the bow used
mainly
in competition shooting, we produce a wide variety of period bows,
based
on actual finds that have been examined at first hand. Such as the Mary
Rose finds which we had the honor to examine at a behind the
scenes
visit to the Mary Rose museum, a visit we made with our fellow
colleagues
from
The Craft Guild of Traditional Bowyers and Fletchers, of which
we
are founder members |
|
| We also produce a wide variety of arrows,
detailed museum
quality arrows again based on actual finds and often incorporating the
excellent work of Hector Cole's hand forged
arrow
heads, our years of archery experience goes into producing the
matched sets of arrows for competition shooting, we believe in a well
matched
set of arrows, a variable most people don't take into account for
accurate
shooting. |
|
|
| Our
Shooting Range |
|
|
| We are well known in the archery world, from
the exciting
simulated hunting techniques practiced in field shooting to the
refinement of target archery and now more than ever the
growing
world of re-enactment. |
|
|
|
|
| We have been involved in all these variants of
archery
for many years, this allows us to understand everyone's needs and
problems
that may occur, from the complete novice who
" just always fancied a "Longbow " to the experienced Longbow
archer
or indeed archers who have moved away from the Hi-Tec world of archery
and have to come realise the simple beauty of owning and shooting the
Longbow. |
|
|
|
| We have customers all around the globe from as
far as Australia
to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, if your not that far
away
and able to make your collection (by appointment only) at the work shop
please do, please be aware we are not a high street shop!(just
give us a call first 01225 790452). We supply a range of
extras
for the traditional archer, from everything you will need to make you
own arrows,
to all you will need to make your own bow
with our DIY Longbow kit or
Longbow
materials.. |
|
 |
| Our
trading tent
at an event in Bedford |
|
|
| If you visit to place your order, we can
measure you
up for your personally hand made Longbow and arrows, you can also
collect
your bow from us and try it out on our shooting range, this
allows
you to make the correct purchase and allows us to give first hand
advice. |
|
| When we get free from the busy schedule at the
workshop
we can often be found at the various Re-enactment
events up and down the country selling our wares dressed in period
costume, we also have a small mobile museum where we talk to the public
and give demonstrations of our Bowyery and shooting abilities with the
Longbow. We also have given several successful seminars up and
down
the country in conjunction with Hector Cole
who talks on the subject of medieval arrow heads and swords, along with
his medieval bellows forge where you can watch him produce an arrow
head,
Hugh Soar also joins us and gives an excellent talk on the history of
the
Longbow in war and peace, he also brings with him his amazing
collection
of antique bows and artifacts. |
|
 
|
Stages of the Yew
bow
|
|
Richard in the
workshop |
 |
 |
Richard
receiving his silver award for craftsmanship in Bowyery from the Master
of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers
|
Philip
receiving his silver award, more details here... |
|
|
| |
|
| At these seminars we bring along our knowledge
of
Bowyery and dispel some of the myths involved in making the self yew
Longbow,
from the selection of materials to the all important tillering to the
final
coat of varnish. |
|
