88/1

This is a roughly-made rectangular basket with a lid and the remnants of handle. It is made of a mixture of materials, including buff and brown willow and perhaps hazel. It was probably used as a travelling basket for fruit and vegetables.

1 basket: mixture of materials; fragile condition

MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 88/1 // Name of recorder: Bunty Ball and John Page // General construction method: – // Overall shape: Rectangular // Materials: Willow and hazel(?) sticks // Base: 6 rods. Slewed brown willow. // Sides: 9 x 5 scallomed stakes. 3-rod wale of whole willow followed by randing in split buff. // Border: More or less behind 2, in front of 2, but not consistent. // Handles: Remnant of a single-rod twisted handle. // Lid: 6 rods (brown willow) randed with buff willow. Twisted ties. Staples at both ends, as base. // Dimensions: Top 39cm x 29cm (length x width). Base 35cm x 24cm (length x width) // Anything else to note about this particular basket: A roughly-made (possibly quickly as one of many or one-off by a non-basket maker?) // Anything else to note about this type of basket: –, MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – ‘This basket came from the shed at the bottom of the garden of 6 Donnington Road, Reading. Miss Flood lived in this house all her life. The house was built in the 1880's and she died in 1987 over 100 years of age. Miss Flood's father made bee keeping equipment and cabinets. The Berkshire Bee Keepers met on his premises. Michael Shelly was executor of the estate. His wife's grandfather was Miss Flood's brother.'

Basket, fruit, Basket, vegetable

Wood, willow, brown, Wood, willow, buff, Wood, hazel

Berkshire Bee Keepers Association ()
Ball, Bunty (Recorder)
Page, John (Recorder)