Coiled Straw Basketry for beginners with Kilgrimol Heritage Crafts

Come and join local Living History enthusiast Heather as she brings to life crafts from the Northwest’s Heritage. Demonstrating the slowly vanishing skills that went into producing our clothing using natural materials.

This month’s session focuses on Coiled Straw Baskets (Skep making)

Status: Critically Endangered

This month’s session focuses on Skep Making / Coiled Straw Baskets

Status: Critically Endangered

Basketry can be a hard skill to master, especially if you have low mobility in your hands, however this session will provide an accessible introduction to basketry techniques for all.

We’ll focus on the ancient craft of making a coiled straw basket. This is a lovely basket style that you can be confident you can keep for daily or decorative use or put to work in the garden as a skep (hive) for the bees.

Coiled lipwork baskets were a traditional craft for the North West as we had plenty of grasses. A quick style that could give you a berry gathering, flower picking vessel for the forager who has just realised there is something to collect and they have left their bags at home.

Inspired by Heritage Crafts Red List, we’re focusing on endangered crafts. To see the full list of crafts please visit our website

ACCESS & VENUE

Access: If you have additional access needs (e.g. large print, BSL interpreter, level access) Please let us know by emailing or sending us an SMS text/WhatsApp message on 07957 602790‬

These sessions are in our upstairs workshop space. There is currently no level access. It’s a single flight of 14 steps then you go around the corner and there are two small steps. Once you’re upstairs there’s a loo. You shouldn’t need to come downstairs for anything until the end of the event.

If you can’t manage the stairs but really want to attend, please let us know by emailing (using the contact organiser button/link) or sending us an SMS text/WhatsApp message on 07957 602790 and will try our best to accommodate.

Getting here

• Tram to North Pier
• Bus:
• No 6 or 18 bus to Topping St.
• No 3, 3a, 5c, 6, 18 to Church St (Stanley Buildings)
• No 5, 5a, 5b, 6, 7a, 14 to Talbot Rd
• Driving: The closest pay and display car parks are on East Topping St and Talbot Road multi storey. There is also parking at the nearby Sainsbury’s supermarket, please make sure that you check the terms before you use the car park.