About

John crafts traditional basket designs once common in UK agriculture and fishing industries. These sturdy forms serve as log baskets or attractive, high-quality storage solutions for domestic use. In addition to traditional designs, John accepts commissions for made-to-measure and bespoke pieces when time allows.

John began basketmaking at age 25, driven by a desire to work with his hands, use wood, and master a traditional craft. After exploring various crafts, he settled on basketmaking, finding it the most fulfilling. He honed his skills under Geoff Forrest, then studied traditional basketmaking with Colin Manthorpe in Norfolk and Virgilijus Bauzys in West Kilbride. Basketmaker and artist Lise Bech also profoundly influenced John, deepening his understanding of willow and making a living from basketry. Many of John’s designs draw from Colin Manthorpe’s notebooks and The Journeyman’s List of Basket Sizes, a book originally created to standardise pay for basketmakers’ union members but which inadvertently preserved details of how to make distinctive, traditional British baskets.

John is deeply grateful to Colin Manthorpe for sharing his extensive skills and knowledge during his later years and retirement. Colin taught John the rare skill of crafting the Quarter Cran Herring Basket, a technique now uncommon in the UK. John continued annual training with Colin until Colin's death in 2019.

 ^{John is a member of The Basketmakers Association & The Scottish Basketmakers' Circle. John is a Yeoman Member of The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers}

^{John & Colin Manthorpe}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For distinction, John was made a Yeoman Member of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers in 2021