Southport Boat Basket

The Southport Boat Basket is a distinctive rectangular basket characterised by its unique form, created through the unusual method by which the oak ribs are inserted. Once commonly used for transporting butter and eggs to market, this basket represents a rare basketmaking tradition that has now become extinct in the UK.

Basketmaker Julie has been researching and recreating this historic form in collaboration with renowned Cumbrian swill maker Owen Jones, who crafts the basket's oak components using traditional techniques. Their work draws on surviving examples, including a historic basket from Netherby, Cumbria.

Originally developed in the early nineteenth century, the Southport Boat was first designed in 1830 by Mr Cobham of Mawdesley, with its manufacture later refined by the basketmaking firm Thomas Cowley. Through careful research and craftsmanship, this remarkable basket has been brought back to life, preserving an important but little-known part of Britain's basketmaking heritage.⁠

Materials: Buff willow
Care Instructions: Dust with a feather duster
Dimensions:
cm: 35 H x 37 W x 26 D cm
inches: 13.8 H x 14.6 W x 10.2 D in