It started with gear that had to work.
Where It Started
I came into falconry young. I got my first Harris hawk when I was eleven, after my dad made it clear that having a bird of my own was a serious commitment. From that point on, falconry became a big part of life.
Early mornings in the field soon taught me what good equipment really meant. Gloves, jesses, anklets, furniture, every part of it mattered. If something was badly made, badly fitted, or simply not thought through, it showed up quickly.
At home, we made our own gear. The methods were basic, but the lesson was important. You could make something yourself, improve it, and end up with something better suited to the job.
That was where leatherwork really began for me, even if I did not see it that way at the time.
From Field to Workshop
As I got older, my interest in falconry only deepened. After studying at Brooksby Agricultural College, I spent time in Canada and saw another side of the craft. Watching experienced falconers and good birds in wide open country stayed with me.
When I returned to the UK in 2009, I was determined to build a living around falconry. It was a difficult time economically, but I started out flying birds professionally and making the gear I needed along the way.
I needed equipment that was reliable, well made, and within reach. I could not find exactly what I wanted, so I started making it myself.
Other falconers noticed. Then they started asking for pieces of their own.
That was how the business began.
Building the Workshop
The early years followed a simple pattern: make something, improve it, reinvest, and repeat.
Early on, I worked at home and put money back into better machinery and better methods. Bit by bit, the business became more capable. The work became more consistent. Designs improved through use, feedback, and repetition.
Over time, the range expanded, and so did the standards behind it. Some products were refined from older patterns. Others were developed to solve specific problems. The aim was never to make more for the sake of it. The aim was to make things that earned their place.
By 2018, it was time to take the next step and move into dedicated premises in Grantham. That gave the business room to grow, room to improve systems, and room to keep pushing forward.
By late 2024, we had outgrown that space and moved into a larger industrial unit, giving the workshop more room for the next stage.
What Still Guides the Work
Although the workshop has grown and the range has broadened, the principles have stayed much the same.
Everything still comes back to usefulness, material choice, fit, and durability. The best products are not overdone. They are well made, fully considered, and made to be used in the real world.
Falconry shaped that mindset. It taught me to pay attention to small details, to respect traditional forms where they still make sense, and to improve things where they can be made better.
That approach now runs through the wider workshop, not just the falconry side. Whether it is equipment for the field or leather goods for everyday use, the standard is the same. Make it well. Make it last.
The Workshop Today
Today, Ashley Clarke is still a working workshop in Lincolnshire, making leather goods and falconry equipment with the practical mindset it was built on. As the workshop has grown, that has also meant passing skills on, training staff, and drawing on experienced people in the trade where specialist knowledge strengthens the work.
Some designs come directly from years in the field. Others come from time at the bench, testing, refining, and finding better ways to do things. But all of it is tied together by the same belief: good gear should do its job properly, age well, and be worth owning.
This business did not start with a marketing plan. It started with a real need, a clear understanding of what worked, and a determination to make things properly. That same mindset still guides the workshop today, from the way products are developed to the way they are made.