Gypsy Coppersmiths in Liverpool and Birkenhead

A series of vivid ethnographic sketches documenting the lives of Romani coppersmiths and itinerant metalworkers who pitch camps in and around Liverpool and Birkenhead. The narrative moves between camp scenes, family trees and networks, occupational routines, informal courts and parliaments, language and song, photographic encounters, episodes of illness and charitable aid, and exchanges with local authorities and settled residents. Emphasis falls on material culture, performance of identity through dress and jewellery, secrecy in communication, and the practical strategies by which this community adapts to urban environments while preserving distinctive social structures.