The Centre was established in 1970 when a small group of crafts makers and educators agreed it was vital to preserve and celebrate the best British crafts of the 20th century. This included
Muriel Rose, who became one of the founding trustees and donated her collections and archive to the Centre. The decision to establish the Crafts Study Centre led to a successful partnership with the
University of Bath, which housed its collections at the city’s
Holburne Museum of Art when the Centre first opened to the public in 1977. In 2000 the Crafts Study Centre relocated to Farnham in Surrey to accept the offer of what was then the
Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College, today the University for the Creative Arts, to construct a new purpose-built space. The Centre opened in a three-storey building in June 2004. The Centre is a registered charity with a Board of Trustees, currently chaired by the potter and writer
Alison Britton. It is an accredited museum as recognised by
Arts Council England. ==Exhibitions and events==