WEDNESDAY WICKER WISDOM
I bet that title above for this blog post really took you by surprise, didn’t it? Well, yes willow coffins are being woven over “across the pond” in England and have been for many years.
Here’s a wonderful video by my friends at The Somerset Willow Company, LTD for you to enjoy!
If you are a long-time subscriber to this blog, you will remember when Olivia Elton Barratt and I visited the guys at
Olivia took me all over England to see basket makers and chair caners, but I especially enjoyed my time down in the Somerset Levels area.
I was there on a McKnight Fellowship, spending ten days visiting and learning about the willow growers and basketmakers as well as the rush and chair caning seat weavers.
In case you missed it, here’s the link to my first of many posts about that experience. Hello, Hello, Hello return from England
In this post are some of the pictures I took at The Somerset Willow Company, LTD with Olivia during our visit in June 2006.
Owners Aubrey and Darrell Hill took time away from their busy schedules to give us a tour of their workshops and sales area.
In the first picture below, Aubrey and Darrell were weaving a hot air balloon gondola that would hold twelve passengers, the pilot and the heilium tanks. Boy, was that ever big and took a lot of weaving to complete!
In this photo, a worker was weaving an environmentally friendly willow coffin using debarked willow at The Somerset Willow Company, LTD in 2006.
As you can see, my old pictures don’t do this very fine company’s willow coffins justice.
So I suggest you visit The Somerset Willow Company, LTD website and see for yourself what interesting coffins, furniture, hot-air balloon basket gondolas and basketry they offer.
And, did you know you can order one of the coffins for yourself or a loved one and have it shipped over here to the USA? Just check on their Order tab. Isn’t that just about the coolest thing you’ve ever heard of? Keeping it green, here too!
My visit to this shop was one of the biggest highlights of my visit and I thank Darrell Hill and his father, Aubrey for spending so much time showing us around and making us feel so very welcome.
~~ Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much ~~
Until next time, Happy Weaving!
Do you know what variety of willow is used for coffins?
Sorry Mother Isidore Maria, but I do not know what variety of willow was used for the coffins in Somerset, England but you can go to the Somerset Willow website and inquire there. Several growers are located there in Somerset Levels and their willow is a wonderful quality! Also, are you aware that there’s a willow grower right there in Ohio, too? His name is Howard Peller and he has his willow farm business, the Basket Farmer, in Roseville, OH. I’m sure he could advise you as to the best willow to use for weaving coffins if that’s what you are interested in pursuing. When you contact Howard be sure to tell him that I referred you to him. I was in a willow basket course with him in Canada in 2013 and thought he was delightful! Basket Farmer
Cathryn, I just watched the willow casket being made. That was awesome to watch him work.
I can see why folks like working with willow.
Dee, I was fortunate enough to watch them weaving the coffins at Somerset Willow in 2006 when I traveled to England on the Fellowship Grant. The guys there in the factory are expert weavers and the basketweaving willow varieties are a delight to use. Far better and easier to work with than my wild willow that grows around here in northern Minnesota, I tell you!