The Sussex trug basket epitomises the English country garden aesthetic, often seen on TV programmes or classic films where the lady of the house is seen delicately pruning roses. The word ‘trug’ simply means ‘moveable vessel’, but Sussex trugs have come to represent something very particular. Technically speaking, it is a constructed frame basket made of wood, unlike those that are generally woven using withies, or rods, of bendable materials such as willow or rush. The framework is made from cleft (split) sweet chestnut coppiced from local woodlands.
This wood, grown and harvested on a regular cycle, has the qualities of both a mature tree and the pliability of a young sapling. The ‘cooper batts’, or poles, of chestnut can be anything from seven to 12 years old, while the root stools they spring from may be hundreds of years old. Seasoned cleft poles are prepared using a drawknife to shave them to the required width and thickness, then they’re steam-bent around blocks to create handles and rims. The boards for the trug’s body are cut from willow, generally the same as that used by cricket bat makers – in fact, it’s often their waste wood which is used for trugmaking. These are shaved and shaped before being soaking in rainwater and then nailed into the frame. Willow ‘feet’ are attached to the base for stability, while some larger trugs have chestnut ‘straps’ wrapped around the body for extra weight bearing. The resulting basket is extremely strong but also light and with minimal care can last for generations.
It is not uncommon for trugs with over 50 years’ service to be brought into the workshop for a running repair. Records of makers and their tools can be found in the Lewes Calendar of Wills dating back over 500 years. All were situated in the iron-producing areas of the Weald – an area stretching from Hampshire to Kent. Historically, trugs have rarely been made outside Sussex, because the county has an abundance of the raw materials necessary for their production, including nails. Sweet chestnut has been cultivated here since pre-Roman times, for it’s a wood that has multiple uses – for fences and gates; furniture making; house building; hop poles; charcoal production and to supply the once huge industry of hoop-making. Chestnut, ash and hazel were coppiced, split and shaved to make the bands that wrapped around casks and tubs. Hoop-making was a trade practised by many trug-makers, since the skills required were similar. It may well have led to the development of our Sussex speciality.
Since the early 19th century the trug’s centre of production has been Herstmonceux. This small village on the edge of the Pevensey Levels was ideally placed, being close to both woodlands and marshes, where willows grew along the dykes. Most trug-makers in the past would have been jacks of all trades, fitting the work in between agricultural labouring and woodcutting. They mostly supplied local farmers, who used the receptacles for harvesting produce, but that changed in the 1850s. Villager Thomas Smith showed his wares at the Great Exhibition, where Queen Victoria admired them, ordering several for her extensive family. As a result, the popularity of this county craft soared, and that led to many little satellite companies opening their doors. The nearby town of Hailsham had a railway link from 1849, allowing goods to be sent all over the world, and business boomed until World War II. Despite trug-making being considered essential, a ‘reserved occupation’, most able-bodied men left the trade. The immediate postwar period brought new farming methods and plastic containers, meaning it was just traditionalists who hung on to their bygone baskets.
But since nothing beats the Sussex trug for strength and longevity, demand has not completely died, although the handmade originals have been diminished by an influx of mass-produced copies made of inferior materials but marketed as the real thing. Few artisans survive, only two counting it as their main source of income, so it is a worry as to whether the skills will be passed on to future generations. The Heritage Craft Association has labelled the skill ‘critically endangered’, and placed it on its Red List. Given the long apprenticeship required, financial aid would be very welcome, but the main concern is whether the potential rewards would be sufficient to attract new makers. Sourcing good-quality chestnut has also become trickier. Many woodlands are sold off in small parcels. Breaking one up can disrupt the coppicing cycle, if owners neglect to cut. Other perils include the fungal disease Phytophthora, which attacks the roots, plus the introduced blight Cryphonectria parasitica, which causes bark canker. Both are spreading rapidly. Knowledgeable woodland management and coppicing can help to keep disease in check.
The trug-making industry, such as it is, is fortunate to have loyal supporters. It is well known that King Charles would not be without his. TV gardener and writer Monty Don is often seen using one and Alan Titchmarsh claims: ‘I don’t know what I’d do without my Sussex trug. It is a part of my gardening life among my beds and borders. Knowing that I am helping to sustain a craft that is not only ancient but also hugely practical gives me the greatest satisfaction. It is the perfect marriage of form and function.’ Troy Scott Smith, head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle, is another great
champion and makes sure all his staff have the use of one. In the introduction to my book The Sussex Trug: Form, Function and Craft, bushcraft expert Ray Mears wrote: ‘The Sussex trug is a thing of beauty, perfectly embodying its birthplace, combining willow from the marsh, chestnut from the forest, and the intelligence and skill of the craft workers who make them. Few baskets are as strong and enduring.’
For 27 years I lived in a house where three generations of the Reed family of trug-makers resided. I have now passed the workshop and business to my son. Along with our fellow artisans, we are determined to maintain this traditional craft, even if it’s on a very small scale. Simply, these old skills must be kept alive.
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