Oak Swill Basket Making: A Critically Endangered Craft
Made by Simon, The Bumbling Basketeer, one of the last keepers of Britain’s oak swill tradition. Each basket is split, bent and woven by hand - a skill now critically endangered, with only a handful of makers left in the country.For centuries, oak swill baskets carried harvests, coal, and firewood; today they carry the weight of our heritage. Strong enough for logs or produce, yet beautiful enough to stand proudly in any room, their earthy tones honour the oak and the land it grew from.
Oak Swill Basket Making: A Critically Endangered Craft
Made by Simon, The Bumbling Basketeer, one of the last keepers of Britain’s oak swill tradition. Each basket is split, bent and woven by hand - a skill now critically endangered, with only a handful of makers left in the country.For centuries, oak swill baskets carried harvests, coal, and firewood; today they carry the weight of our heritage. Strong enough for logs or produce, yet beautiful enough to stand proudly in any room, their earthy tones honour the oak and the land it grew from.
What is oak swill basket making?
Also known as spelk baskets, swales and spales, oak swill basket making is a critically endangered craft, with only a couple of makers left in the UK.
These oak baskets were originally native to the southern Lake District. They're surprisingly strong, and have been used for everything from carrying potatoes to transporting coal onto steam ships. In fact, they're so strong that they say swill making apprentices would test their product by standing on it!
Making swill baskets is a long and laborious process, involving splitting wood along the grain, cleaving, dressing, and weaving each piece by hand, echoing the methods passed down by the last remaining swill makers.
Swill basket makers generally have difficulty sourcing good oak, so potential swillers generally resort to managing their own woodland, and felling, extracting and processing their own wood. Needless to say, swill baskets are an extremely complex blend of skills!
Learn more via Heritage Crafts' Red List of Endangered Crafts below.
-
Regular price£170.00 GBPRegular priceSale price£170.00 GBP Save £-170.00 GBP (%)Unit priceper16" Scottish Oak basket with hazel ribs and 2 willow hoops Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular price£170.00 GBPRegular priceSale price£170.00 GBP Save £-170.00 GBP (%)Unit priceper16” Scottish Oak Swill Basket with peeled hazel handle Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular price£140.00 GBPRegular priceSale price£140.00 GBP Save £-140.00 GBP (%)Unit priceper13” Scottish Oak Swill with hazel handle Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular priceFrom £295.00 GBPRegular priceSale priceFrom £295.00 GBPUnit priceperScottish Oak Bottle Basket Bag Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular price£80.00 GBPRegular priceSale price£80.00 GBP Save £-80.00 GBP (%)Unit priceperScottish Oak hen basket bag Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
About the maker: Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
Simon creates traditional oak swill baskets using split wood techniques, reviving one of Scotland’s rarest heritage crafts. Working with oak and hazel, he cleaves, dresses, and weaves each piece by hand, echoing the methods passed down by the last remaining swill makers. His work blends utility with quiet beauty, rooted in the rhythms of rural craftsmanship. Oak swill basketry is a critically endangered craft, with only a couple of people practicing the craft in the UK.
How to make an oak swill basket
You might also like...
-
Regular priceFrom £40.00 GBPRegular priceSale priceFrom £40.00 GBPUnit priceperHandmade Hand Broom (made to order) Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular priceFrom £33.00 GBPRegular priceSale priceFrom £33.00 GBPUnit priceperHandmade Tampico Bench Brush (made to order) Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
-
Regular priceFrom £30.00 GBPRegular priceSale priceFrom £30.00 GBPUnit priceperHandmade Arenga Bench Brush (made to order) Simon Cooper, The Bumbling Basketeer
Bespoke commissions
Have a unique vision? We can help.
We manage the entire process from the initial inquiry to the finished piece, including concepts, design, contracts and shipping.
This support allows our makers to focus solely on the creative aspects of their work, and ensures that your vision is realised exactly as you intended.
Book a friendly chat with us below. There's no obligation to purchase anything.
Can’t find what you need?
Drop us a line
- hello@thehaud.com
-
+44 7508 776419
- Find us on Instagram