2000/7

This small round basket was found by the donor in the garden shed at her house in Reading. It is believed to have been used for fruit picking or shopping. It is made from cane with willow base stakes, and has a strong wrapped willow handle.

1 basket: cane, willow

MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 2000/7 // Name of recorder: Bunty Ball and John Page // General construction method: Stake and strand // Overall shape: Round // Materials: Cane, apart from base sticks which are willow // Base: 3 x 3 base sticks // Sides: 24 side stakes, 4 rows of 3-rod wale upset. 12 rows of pairing. 2 rows of waling. 6 rows of pairing. 4 rows of waling. // Border: Behind 2 in front of 3 border. // Handles: Bow willow wrapped (rather than coiled). // Lid: – // Dimensions: Base 15cm. Height 15cm. Diameter 19cm? Basket now oval at top as it has been squashed. // Anything else to note about this particular basket: Willow sticks have slight woodworm and damage of a few weavers. // Anything else to note about this type of basket: Looks too small to be a shopping basket., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Standard museum name: BASKET – cane // Accession number: 2000/7 // … // Recorder: JMB // Date: 20.12.00 // Description: Small round basket woven from cane with a strong coiled handle. // Dimensions: Height with handle: approx. 32 cms // Height of basket: 16 cm. Diameter of basket: 19 cm // Associated information: Found in the garden shed at the above address [Avebury Square, Reading]. Probably a small fruit picking or shopping basket.’

Basket, fruit, Basket, shopping

Plant fibre, rattan, Wood, willow

Ball, Bunty (Recorder)
Page, John (Recorder)