Sarah from Storlines.org.uk and I teamed up with the Cornwall College, Camborne, Level 3 Film, Television and Photography courses, to carry out a live brief with their learners. They had never heard of withy pots until now and were tasked to record a special occasion, when Barry Mundy, a retired fisherman and withy pot maker from Mullion Cove in Cornwall, planned to make a withy pot for the first time in 7 years.
Sarah and I arrived together, managing to find a space to park which was a stone throw away from the water. It was an unusullay cold, yet beautiful day. It was peaceful, plants around the cove were touched with frost, glistening in the sunshine and shallow pools of water on the pebbled beach were frozen solid, which was a first for me!
We met with Barry at the net loft who appeared calm and ready for the day ahead. Laying on the ground beside the steps that lead up to the door were tamarisk branches ready to be woven.
A plaque on the door sat proud, in memory of his late father.
As the door opened, we saw a pot stand, subtly lit by natural light coming from a small window and the open door.
This stand holds a very important role, it is used to construct the top half of a withy pot and it has served this purpose for decades; previously owned by a retired local fisherman who then handed it down to him 60 years ago. The first challenge for Barry was to find the correct holes to push his willow branches into.
Before the college team arrived, Sarah and I had an opportunity to explore the room. It may have been small, but it was filled with so much character and history and many stories to be unearthed and told!
We were soon joined by the college team and before we knew it the cameras were rolling and the withy pot making had begun!
Barry got into the rhythm quickly, making it appear like a skill you never lose, no matter how long it has been since you last practiced, a little like riding a bike.
We all watched in silence and only the sounds of withy pot making and the sea could be heard.
The pot stand brought about a few more challenges for Barry, when brittle rope broke, but this did not seem to phase him and he took it all in his stride. Working with the materials and the tools he had, he bent and shaped the willow to form the top half of his withy pot.
Day 2 we returned to record Barry complete the bottom half of his pot.
One of the college learners felt inspired and asked if we could film Barry walking towards the net loft, framed by the beauty of the cove.
Back inside, Tamarisk was worked into the base, which was partly chosen for it's durability when working in the sea.
The finished pot was a beautiful sight to be seen and we could not wait to step outside and photograph it. The photo would not have been complete without the stand, but as Barry carried it, a part of it broke! As though it had finally completed what it had set out to do. We felt honored to have been there to witness and document the creation of its last withy pot.
Editing
The journey for the Cornwall College team did not finish there. They were tasked to edit down the hours of footage to just 10 mins. Ensuring each step of the withy pot making was featured and adding audio recordings previously captured by us last year. This will form part of our Withy Lore exhibition at Royal Cornwall Museum in 2025.
They also edited a second, longer film from the footage, which documents the process of making a Million Cove style pot in more detail. This will be archived for generations to come!
Thank you to Marc and Simon and your learners for making this possible ! and to Barry for sharing your craft with us.
Thank you also to our funders :
National Lottery Heritage Fund, FEAST Cornwall, Cornwall Community Foundation, the St.Aubyn Foundation and the Fishmongers Company.
Just a quick recap! In my preivious post Storylines and I gathered a group of withy pot makers from around the South West to talk all things withy pots and also create 'withy pot barnacles' to include in a growing art installation which will be showcased at our Withy Lore exhibition next year!
Since then we have held our second withy pot barnacle workshop at Royal Cornwall Museum. This time we welcomed two withy pot makers and three young people to work together to make withy pot barnacles. Creating an opportunity to pass on skills and knowledge and to include their pieces in the growing installation.
Who took part
Withy pot maker Tom Chambers from Porthleven and Aaron Grigg from Mevagissey arrived kitted up with withy pot stands, willow and tools. They were joined by three local young participants, Megan, Rupert and Logan, all eager to try their hands at withy pot making.
Withy pot barnacle making begins
Rupert, Logan and Megan were all allocated a withy pot maker and it wasn't long before willow was being cut, bent and woven into shape.
When it was time to bend the willow down, the long withies met with the floor appearing to me a little like sea creatures with long tentacles.
They began weaving / binding around the frame. This process determines the withy pots shape and different characteristics could already be seen.
Once the three rows of binding were complete it was time for the withy pot barnacles to be lifted from the pot stands to begin work on the base. Traditionally a withy pot bottom would be filled in with weaving, but we wanted ours to only have a border to hold its shape.
Aaron showed them all how to weave the long willow ends into a tight, strong and beautiful border. Last step was to trim back any lose ends and tada! their withy pot barancles were complete!
Next steps for Megan, Logan and Rupert
Megan has fallen in love with the craft and is making plans with Tom Chambers and Aaron Grigg to make a pot stand of her own so she can continue to practise!
Rupert and his father plan to practise with Tom Chambers.
Logan is also planning to continue learning and eventually make withy pots during the winter months using willow grown on a willow farm as part of his families business.
This isn't the only endangered craft Logan is involved in, during the other seasons of the year he will be found Cornish hedging! He began learning the craft when taking part in Heritage Crafts Association Pre-apprenticeship project in the spring of 2023 and has since then continued training with Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust (CREST). He is now on track to soon become a fully fledged Cornish hedger!
Thank you
Thank you to Tom, Aaron, Rupert, Megan and Logan for taking part and making such wonderful withy pot barnacles.
Thank you to Tristan for volunteering to record the activities ! we hope to include your work in the exhibition.
... to withy pot makers Stephen, from St Michael's Mount and Pete from Gorran Haven for popping in and sharing your stories... To artist in resident at Salt Cellar Workshops, Suzanne for being a friendly face and sharing your enthusiasm... To Thaila and Eve from Plymouth University, for joining us and sharing with us the amazing project you are involved in with withy pot maker Jof Hicks. Studying the biological interactions of withy pots on lobsters and the by-catch which is also caught by comparing this to plastic inkwell pot caught individuals.
Thank you to Royal Cornall Museum for kindly letting us use your workshop room.
Thank you to our funders for making this possible:
National Lottery Heritage Fund, FEAST Cornwall, Cornwall Community Foundation, the St Aubyn Foundation and Fishmongers Company.
Invitation to make a barnacle
We want to include as many pots and styles as possible in this installation, so are now inviting pot makers to contribute ‘barnacles’. We won’t need these until early 2025, so expect most of them to be made next winter. We’ve already been bowled over by people’s generosity and willingness to contribute and are excited to see the installation grow. If you’re able to contribute then please do get in touch
Oral histories
We are on the look out for a small number of withy pot makers to record. If you would like to take part or might know someone who is please contact Sarah - Sarah@storylines.org.uk
Thank you for reading :) !
Updated: Mar 6
Storylines and I will no doubt come across many exciting archive photographs throughout our time on our Withy Lore project and this is certainly one of them! Below you will see a picture of Penberth taken before the modern plastic and metal pots became more favoured. When Kathi Jones, from Penberth shared this with me, at first glance the scattering of withy pots appeared like barnacles.
This image was fascinating to me and with its personal connection to my children's history on their fathers side, it became the first page in a story I wrote and illustrated with jewellery and prints for my Jewelwithy project 'Withy pots and Salix piskies' which will also form part of the RCM exhibition next year:
'Withy pots were commonplace across the South West coast, which from afar appeared like barnacles nestled on a rock.' - Anna Pope - caption taken from Withy pots and salix piskies.
Sarah and I want to explore further possibilities to include this archive photograph in the Withy Lore project and we have developed a plan to create an art installation 'Withy pot barnacles', inspired by this, through intergenerational workshops.
Withy pots generally only last a season and need to be replaced every year.
For hundreds of years they have been made during the winter months, when the willow/plant materials are ready to be harvested and woven. This coincided with the seas becoming too treacherous to fish and naturally created opportunities to pass on skills and knowledge to the next generation.
Wisdom
Caption from my 'Withy pots and Salix Piskies' story
'This period is short lived as it only lasts until spring and creates a small opportunity to pass on wisdom......
This cycle was interrupted by the introduction of modern plastic/metal pots in around the 1960's and 1970's and we see very little of withy pots today. There is hope though! We are noticing a resurgence of interest in the traditional withy pot craft, which may be largely down to a greater awareness of sustainability.
The 'withy pot barnacle' installation
The installation will be made by a combination of withy pot makers, young people and families. Each 'barnacle' will be created from the top half of a withy pot and will form part of a growing installation, which will be photographed on a beach before being displayed at
Royal Cornwall Museum 'Withy Lore' exhibition in 2025.
With help from some of the withy pot community we have devised the first part of our plan.
We have organised two workshop dates so far, one designed solely for withy pot makers and the second for withy pot makers and younger generations, creating an opportunities to connect and pass on some of their skills.
Here's how the first workshop went!
Following our recent funding success we were excited to begin the project with this workshop.
With a beautiful Scillonian withy pot in tow, kindly donated to us by withy pot maker Jof Hicks; Sarah and I arrived in Truro, Cornwall, early on a Saturday morning, to prepare the workshop room Royal Cornwall Museum had kindly let us use.
Prior to this day, withy pot makers had expressed an interest in gathering a group together and we were excited by the prospect of having some from different parts of the South West come together.
We did not have to wait long for people to arrive!
By 10am conversations between withy pot makers from Gorran Haven, Mevigissey, Penryn, Porthleven and the Scilly Isles were already underway! A large 'withy pot barnacle' represented a withy pot maker called Dave French, from Budleigh Salterton, Devon who could not be there. Brought in by Jof as a gift.
As the collection of pots brought in grew, so too did the conversations of styles and withy pots. It was such a special thing to be heard!
10.30am came around quickly and our first activity for the day was to begin. Everyone gathered around a table and at the centre were Storylines wonderful little crab cards with questions we had writen for each person to answer on the back.
One by one, stories of withy pots began to unfold. Kate from Gorran Haven Withy Crafters, also took part. She organises withy pot making workshops in Gorran Haven, Cornwall and discussed where they source their willow and their plans to use more locally grown willow. Withy pot maker, Barry Mundy from Mullion Cove arrived a little later, but wasn't shy to get involved!
We then moved on to naming different parts of a withy pot, which varies around the South West. Discussions around the origin of names / terms developed, including links to the Cornish language.
Time was whizzing by and before we knew it, lunch time was here! It wasn't long before we were to start the withy pot barnacle making!
Aaron Grigg from Mevagissey, Pete Thomas from Gorran Haven and Tom Chambers from Porthleven, all worked together in one room, whilst withy pot conversations around them continued. Each of them worked with a variety of willow, creating a beautiful array of colours. Some were locally grown in Penryn by Aaron and Adrian Grigg and some kindly donated to us by local basket maker, Geraldine Jones, cut by Tom Chambers in Penwith.
The willow was pushed into and formed around small pot stands which were all contructed slightly differently. Many of the tools used were also hand-made and unique.
When there was a natural break, we took the group to see the room we will be exhibiting in next year. It was really great to hear their thoughts and ideas !
It wasn't long before we were back in the room making! and visitors to the museum were peering in, intrigued to see what we were getting up to!
Due to space for the installation, Aaron, Tom and Pete were set the task to work to a smaller scale than usual and also finish the bases off differently to a traditional withy pot. This brought about discussions and sharing ideas between makers, resulting in some truly fabulous 'withy pot barnacles' that each have their own character/style.
Thank you to all of those involved ! We are really very grateful for your support and couldn't have asked for a better way to begin our project.
Thank you also to our funders who have made this project possible:
National Lottery Heritage Fund, FEAST Cornwall, Cornwall Community Foundation, the St Aubyn Foundation and Fishmongers Company.
Invitation to make a barnacle
We want to include as many pots and styles as possible in this installation, so are now inviting pot makers to contribute ‘barnacles’. We won’t need these until early 2025, so expect most of them to be made next winter. We’ve already been bowled over by people’s generosity and willingness to contribute and are excited to see the installation grow. If you’re able to contribute then please do get in touch.
Next workshop
We are really looking forward to the next workshop day! this time with withy pot makers and young participants eager to learn a bit about the craft!
Thanks for reading! I will be posting again very soon :) !
