Basket Archive

Made over the past few years, this is a small selection of the baskets that I made either to commission, created whilst being taught by renowned UK teachers, are museum replicas or were created for my personal use.

The majority of these baskets give centre stage to traditional English techniques and weaves.  Willow and rush materials are sourced and often harvested by myself from the Somerset Levels.

Having for many years loved recreating museum pieces and having recently trained with 4th generation commercial basketmaker Eddie Barnard, I make baskets that often have their origins in the South West of England.  First made hundreds of years ago, often with a specific purpose such as for use in an apple orchard or for displaying dairy produce, these baskets are highly suited to modern living too.  A traditional Somerset apple picker basket is equally at home as a modern shopping basket, the Devon Maund makes a lovely unique picnic hamper and a 1930’s pharmaceutical bottle basket, with additional rush woven features becomes a highly fashionable backpack!

To make rectangular baskets such as hampers, known in the trade as ‘squarework’ baskets, requires a weaver to be highly skilled and highly practiced in their craft form.  Combine this with creating them using only English techniques and weaves, there now exists only a handful of craftspeople in the UK who are still regularly making these items.  A mission of mine is to change this!  Perfect for both bespoke storage and hampers, by purchasing a true English squarework piece you are not only able gaining a beautiful, functional basket but are helping to save traditional basketry techniques for our nation and for our next generation of basketmakers.