Willow beds at Withysmythe Meadow- The home of Cradle to Grave Willow Coffins in Dorset
At the beginning of January each year here at Withysmythe Meadow we begin to cut by hand an acre of around 26 varieties of basketry willow.
The colours range from purples, yellows, reds, oranges and browns to a myriad of shades of green.
Naturally grown willow has many varieties and colour variations
When the willow is fresh the colours are so vibrant, then develop into a darker shade as the willow dries.
At Cradle to Grave Willow Coffins our plantation contains many different varieties of willow, homegrown by us at Withysmythe Meadow in Dorset. These include Brittany green, Flanders red, Harrisons purple, Welsh white, Green gots, Dicky meadows, Dark dicks, Noir de Villaine and Pheasant brown.
We try and cut all the willow by the end of January each year, then spend the next month or so grading, sorting and bundling the willow up ready to be stored in our barn for use throughout the year.
Harvested willow bundles, ready to store in our barn at Withysmythe Meadow
From the end of January through to end of March we sell living willow for cuttings, for other people to start their own willow beds, or to make living willow fences etc.
The majority of the willow is used for weaving our hand made willow coffins, baskets and willow garden structures throughout the year, and we will sell any surplus willow in bundles, usually at the renowned Stock Gaylard Oakfair in August to other keen basket weavers.
One of our beautiful, hand made willow coffins, crafted with our own home grown willow
Once all the willow is cut, processed and stored we rake up all the dropped leaves and put them onto compost piles. This will rot down and be used for our flower and vegetable growing during the year ahead.
The willow will stay flexible for about 3 months after cutting, but once it dries it will need soaking for a week or two before use.
It is a really pleasurable thing to grow your own willow, cut and process it and then weave it into beautiful handmade products.
At Cradle to Grave Willow Coffins we specialise in producing beautiful, bespoke and unique willow creations. Our coffins and caskets are eco-friendly, with willow taken from our own sustainable plantation and all are hand-made with love by us, here in the beautiful Dorset countryside.
What makes us different from other providers of this kind of service?
We make coffins individually for the person who has passed. We invite the family members over to help make the coffin and get them as involved as they want to be. We treat them with with kindness and gentleness. I always try to imagine what it must be like and put myself in the person's shoes who's lost their loved one, so I can try and understand how they are feeling. We invite families round to look at coffins and to come sit with us in our beautiful surroundings, drink tea and eat cake. We are very compassionate towards our customers.
- Cath and Tosh Abbott
CRADLE TO GRAVE, WITHYSMYTHE MEADOW, STOUR LANE, STOUR ROW, DORSET SP7 0QJ, UNITED KINGDOM. telephone: 07919 385854 LADYCAFFRYN@YAHOO.CO.UK
The willow plantation at Withysmythe Meadow in Dorset
