What Happens Inside a Clive’s Candles Workshop

There’s something quietly magical about making a candle by hand. You start with raw materials and a blank jar and a few hours later, you leave with something beautiful, fragrant and entirely your own. But what makes our workshops at Clive’s Candles a little different is that you don’t just make a candle, you understand it.

Here’s what to expect when you book a candle-making workshop with Clive

It Starts With a Bit of History

Before the wax is even melted, Clive takes you back – right back to where it all began.

Candle-making is one of the oldest crafts in human history. The earliest known candles date back over 5,000 years, used by the Ancient Egyptians and Romans as a practical light source. The word “chandler” originally referred to a person who made and sold candles. In medieval England, chandlers were essential tradespeople and chandlery was a respected and regulated profession. Understanding that history changes the way you look at what you’re doing. You’re not just following a trend, you’re participating in a craft that’s been part of everyday life for millennia.

Getting to Know Your Wax

One of the most valuable parts of the workshop is the deep dive into wax. Most people pick up a candle without ever thinking about what it’s actually made from, but the type of wax used has a huge impact on how a candle burns, how it smells and what it stands for.

Choosing Your Fragrance

This is often people’s favourite part and it’s easy to see why, But before you dive in, Clive will share something a lot of people don’t expect: the close connection between fragrance and colour.

Fragrance is personal. It’s emotional. It’s the thing that makes someone walk into a room and instantly feel at home. Clive explains how fragrance actually works inside a candle and how concentration affects the throw (that’s the strength of the scent when the candle is burning) and why certain fragrances perform better in different spaces.

Then it’s over to you. You’ll choose from Clive’s carefully curated selection, and he’ll guide you on combinations and quantities so your finished candle both performs well and smells beautiful in the pot. Along the way, you’ll learn how the three levels of fragrance – top notes, heart notes and base notes – each play their part in the overall scent experience.

Picking Your Colour

Candles in a jar let the colour speak for itself. Clive introduces you to candle dyes and how they work, how much to use and how the colour in the pot can look very different from the colour once the wax has set and cooled.

This is one of those moments where experience really counts. Clive’s been through the trial and error so you don’t have to. He’ll help you choose the exact depth of colour you’re going for, whether that’s a pale, barely-there blush or something rich and deep.

Understanding the Wick

It might look like a simple piece of string, but the wick is arguably the most technically important part of any candle and what most people don’t realise is that wicks come in different sizes and must be waxed before use.

Clive explains why wick choice matters so much. Too small and the candle tunnels, burning straight down the middle and wasting all that wax around the edge. Too long and you get a flame that burns hot, produces soot and tears through your candle far too quickly. The right wick depends on the diameter of the jar, the type of wax and the fragrance load and getting that balance right is exactly the kind of craft knowledge Clive brings to every workshop.

The Pour

Once all your decisions are made, it’s time to make the candle. Clive guides you through heating the wax to the right temperature, adding your fragrance and colour at the correct stages and pouring cleanly into your jar. You’ll learn why pouring temperature matters, what happens if it’s too hot or too cold and why some candles need a second top-up pour to achieve that smooth, even surface.

And then, you wait. Candles need time to set properly and patience is part of the craft.

What You’ll Leave With

At the end of your workshop, you’ll take home a beautifully fragranced, hand-coloured candle in a jar, made entirely by you, from scratch.

But you’ll also leave with something less tangible: a genuine understanding of the craft. You’ll know why your candle is made the way it is. You’ll be able to read a candle label with fresh eyes. And you might just find yourself looking at every candle you see differently from now on.

The Details

Workshops are private and friend groups -only, with space for 2–4 people. Clive doesn’t run public or shared sessions, (that way you don’t have to be on your best behaviour!) so it’s maximum personal tuition throughout, in a relaxed and welcoming studio at the Ferrers Centre for Arts & Crafts in Leicestershire.

Light refreshments are included. Be prepared to have some fun.

All of this for £48 per person.

To book or find out more, call 01332 865530, email info@clivescandles.co.uk or visit clivescandles.co.uk.