What is a willow coffin?

Willow coffins (or willow caskets) are containers made of willow that are used for putting the person that has passed away into, so they can be either buried or cremated in them. The coffin is buried in the earth and will break down naturally over time. Willow coffins are also suitable as a cremation container.

We here at Cradle to Grave make beautiful sustainable willow coffins and we have designed a range of beautiful caskets. We offer two basic shapes of willow coffin, one that is rounded at both ends and one that is rounded at the head end and tapers gently ..

You may wish to choose one of our seven different designs featured below or use them for inspiration for your own bespoke design. We also have a gallery of design choices, where you will be able to see how different colour combinations and types of fabric can make your hand-made coffin special to your loved one.

View fullsize

Autumn Leaves

View fullsize

Forest Dew

View fullsize

Meadow Sweet

View fullsize

Snowy Hills

View fullsize

Sweet Chestnut

View fullsize

Woodland Grove

View fullsize

Highland Heather

View fullsize

Infant burial basket

Pushing up the daisies

We will be attending the “Pushing Up the Daisies” festival this coming Sunday 13th October 2019. We will be displaying our Viking ash urns there . We will have a film running, showing the burning of one of our Viking Burial ships, lots of photos, tributes from customers, and information on our willow coffins. Please come along for a very informative day all about death. The show runs from Friday 11th Oct until Sunday 13th Oct 2019. There will be talks by various informative speakers around the town and in the cheese and grain venue itself. Follow this link for more information…

Apple basket weaving workshop

We still have a few places left for the apple Basket weaving workshop,The event will be held at stour provost village hall on 14th and 28th April,10 am till4 pm.This workshop is suitable for beginners.Teas coffees and cakes etc will be provided but please bring a packed lunch.

The cost is £70 per person which includes materials and tuition,and you get to take a lovely handmade basket home with you.please contact cath for more details and to book a place

SCATTERING ASHES viking ship

We have just finished this beautiful viking fireship for a customer.The family has ordered it so they can have a ceromony to send both their mother and fathers(John and Ruby) ashes off together,I think it is a perfect way to finalise the scattering of the ashes.

Over the next few weeks i will be doing a blog on different ways to scatter ashes

There are many ways to scatter ashes

SEA BURIAL

,Burial at sea is currently available in three locations in the united kingdom, off The Needles, Isle of Wight; between Hastings and Newhaven on the South Coast; and off Tynemouth, North Tyneside.

Although many people who are buried at sea are former sailors or navy personnel, there is no need to have a connection with maritime life.

Anyone can be buried at sea, so long as the person arranging it has a licence - available for £175 from the MMO - and complies with some environmental rules.

Applicants must provide a certificate from a doctor that the body is clear of fever and infection, and your local coroner must be informed.

The person being buried must not be embalmed and should be clad in light, biodegradable clothing.

Some funeral directors will arrange the event, and the an organisation called the britannia shipping company specialises in it. Charity organisation the Maritime Volunteer Service also helps carry out burials at sea.

The navy conducts its own burials at sea, for those veterans who wish it. For more detailed information you should contact the chaplain at the base from which the dead person served.

COFFIN REQUIREMENTS FOR A SEA BURIAL

The coffin you use must be made of solid softwood and must not contain any plastic, lead, copper or zinc. It must have:

• between 40 and 50 50mm (2 inch) holes drilled throughout

• corners butt-jointed and strengthened with mild steel right angle brackets screwed internally, or substantial wooden bracing struts 50 x 38mm

• about 200kg of iron, steel or concrete clamped to the base of the coffin with brackets of 10mm mild steel bar, or blocks of weak concrete mix

• weight distributed evenly to prevent the coffin from turning to the vertical

• 2 long mild steel bands running from the top to the bottom of the coffin

• several mild steel bands across the coffin at about 30cm intervals along its length

The coffin and any inner box or liner must be made from natural, non-toxic and biodegradable materials. They must both be able to withstand any impact and be able to carry the body quickly to the seabed.

Willow shroud carrier

Our beautiful willow shroud carrier is a cradle shaped coffin basket with a flat wooden bottom and sjx strong rope handles wrapped in felt for ease of carrying lined with a natrual waxed waterptoof liner and felt .the basket contains a beautifully made thick woollen felt shroud to wrap your loved one in.the basket can then be covered in a beautifully designed felt lid which overlaps the basket and where the handles fit through slots in the felt cover to secure the lid .these baskets are suitable and designed for cremations .basket made by cradletogravewillowcoffins.co.uk and shrouds made by yuli at bellacouche

VIKING SHIP CEREMONY ON LAKE MICHIGAN USA

My brother died a year earlier. We decided to hold a one-year remembrance for him in this way. Family members came from Europe and The west coast to participate. Our boating friends were happy to help.The weather was perfect with light waves less than a foot as we headed out onto the lake in our motorboat. We played a selection of music and welcomed everyone to write private prayers to place in the basket of the boat along with several photos and mementos.

Under way, a seven jet formation of the Blue Angels, the US Navy jet performance demonstration team, just happened to fly In front of our bow as we motored out to the deep waters of the Great Lake. Less than 300 meters above us, perhaps a kilometer in front of us. The best I can figure, looking at their show schedule, they were flying from one air show location to the next. 

The coincidental timing of the fly by was astounding. Why they were in formation, and so low? Perhaps they decided to give us a “show”.  A minute timing difference one way or the other and we would not have crossed paths so closely, so dramatically. They were as modern day Valkyries. It was truly amazing! We were listening to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” at the time.

When we reach the memorial location, we launched the Viking boat, setting it afire, said prayers, read poems, read a code of “what it means to be a Viking”, listened to Wagner’s “Siegfried’s Funeral March” Followed by “I Vow to Thee”, as performed at Churchill‘s funeral. 
We followed the recommendation of using two bricks as ballast for the boat. Kindling was placed at the bottom of the the hull.  Larger, 5 cm cubes of hickory fueled the burn. We used the small wood chunks to avoid any dangerous floating debris the larger wood logs could have created. A little bit of lighter fluid helped start the combustion. The ship burned for about half an hour, down to the waterline, and the boat sank out of sight as the water flooded the hull. Thank you for constructing such a “seaworthy” boat.

We played continued with the music on the way back to harbor, including Pink Floyd‘s “Wish You Were Here“ and Bob Marley’s “Three little Birds”.

The coat of arms on the mast has special significance to my bother and me. He had a tattoo of it on his right bicep. 

Thank you for helping us fulfill my brother’s last wishes. All who witnessed and participated in the farewell were moved by this most special ceremony. Even the most seasoned boaters said this tribute was unique and exceptional, just as my brother wanted.
.

TON BASKETS

I came across this lovely picture of some welsh basket makers in the 1950s making these huge baskets that were used to transport goods onto ships so they had to be very strong.they were made with tohiti cane rather than willow as the basket base was 36 inches and the sides 40 inches high.i have decided that i am going to have a go at making one ,but in willow ,it will make a great advertising piece ,people will be facinated by the size of the basket

RED DOGWOOD FOR PLANTING

I am recycling some red dogwood from my sons garden and have cut the willow from the stools to weave baskets with ,and will replant the stools i have cut off in our second willow bed we have just put in on our field.Last years new crop of willow is due to be cut soon and will infill the spaces that didnt take last year so will be intresting to see if it takes