Karl Longbottom, Kitemaker and Kite Designer

Karl Longbottom, an engineer by trade, has been designing and making kites for over twenty years; full time since 2003. Working from home in the wilds of the English/Welsh borders he regularly produces new designs.

As well as supplying his own kites Karl now has agreements with both Leong Chee Wan of Ceewan Kites and Albert Chen of Flying Wing Kites to supply their Kites to the UK market. Contact Karl if you want to know more.

Karl manufactures his own designs, they include all manner of bird and pterodactyl kites, his fighting Pants and Delta Sleds for both altitude sprinting and for kite aerial photography (KAP). Currently he is designing kites for indoor flying ready for the new season. He also produces a range of the more traditional kites, including the Papillion designed by Didier Fermont. The kites are all made by Karl himself; he maintains a worldwide reputation for the excellent quality, precision, balance and flying characteristics of his kites.

Karl undertakes commissions on a regular basis many of which can be found on the Gallery page, he is well known for reproducing historic kites in modern materials. Karl has produced kites to be flown indoors in stage shows and other similar projects for The Wizard of Oz and Take That.

Karl has been running kite workshops for children and adults alike for over 15 years, ranging from simple sleds to complex ripstop kites. He is regularly asked by schools and kite groups in the UK to teach his skills to others. In March 2009 he went to the Fort Worden Kitemakers Conference in the USA to teach a Swan workshop to fellow kitemakers.

The hawk kite was designed in 2004 specifically as a bird scaring kite for European weather conditions and was shown on the BBC Countryfile programme in July 2010. More of these kites are made than any other design; they are available through suppliers only.

Karl and his wife Sara are invited to a number of events every year, they are the main organisers of the Herefordshire Kite Festival held at the National Trust, Berrington Hall, Leominster every July. This year they are holding their first ever Indoor Kite Event.

In addition to kites, Karl has been asked to manufacture banners. More recently he has put together a large collection of white pennant banners which add a new dimension to occasions, be they a kite festival or his own daughter's wedding.

All kites and banners are tailored to the customer's requirements in terms of colour, size and most importantly graphics; they can be printed or appliqued. Contact Karl and discuss your requirements for that special kite you have always wanted or the surprise present for someone you know.