5 great Essex-themed craft projects to try at home

PUBLISHED: 15:38 31 October 2020 | UPDATED: 11:11 03 November 2020

John Constable, Wivenhoe Park, Essex, 1816 (c) Lluís Ribes Mateu, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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Need something to keep the kids occupied or just fancy a little project to exercise your arty side? We’ve put together this list of Essex-themed craft activities for you to try

Create your own Byrhtnoth the Saxon statue

Using whatever you have around the house have a go at recreating one of Essex’s most iconic landmarks. His statue marks the location of the Battle of Maldon, a bloody fight between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings that ended in Byrhtnoth’s death.

Find out more about Essex’s rich history here.

Your take on a Constable classic

As John Constable’s painting of Wivenhoe Park is kept at the National Gallery of Art in Washington there’s a good chance many of us won’t be able to see it in person. Using paints, pens, pencils or whatever you prefer we can, however, create our own version of his work.

Click here for a town guide to Dedham.

John Constable - Wivenhoe Park, Essex (1816)

Essex map cross-stitch

If sewing is your thing then you’ll love this DIY kit we found on Amazon. Many of Essex’s most famous sites are featured on the design and it’ll make a fantastic addition to your home decoration. Of course if you can create your own Essex-inspired cross-stitch without a ready-made kit then we’d love to see that creation!

Here are some more of Essex’s most notable towns.

Artist activity packs from Firstsite

UK artists including Antony Gormley, Sarah Lucas, Gillian Wearing, Idris Khan, Richard Wentworth, Cornelia Parke and more have contributed a variety of interactive activities perfect for you and the kids. Click here to download the free packs.

Read more about Essex’s top free things to do.

Make a pinboard of everything you want to do in Essex

Plan out your perfect bucket list of things to do in the county by creating a pinboard with all the Essex locations you want to visit, pubs you want to drink at and activities you want to try. Use images, text, magazine clippings (from Essex Life of course) or any other material to bring your plan to life.

Here’s our summer bucket list to give you some ideas.