Bury me in a willow-shaped coffin

In the osier beds of Worcestershire and Somerset, the wind is still playing in the willows destined for baskets, 'fedging' and custom-made coffins, finds Jane Wheatley

- Jane Wheatley

IN a shallow bowl dug out of a Worcestershire hillside stands a small forest of willow: tall, slender withies shade from pale green to russet tips, yellow to chest nut, sage to purple, rustling and sighing in the winter breeze. Half the beds have been harvested and a blonde figure in boots and waterproofs is bent over, sorting the bundles before tying two fine rods of willow around each one.

Jenny Crisp has been cultivating willow and making basketwork for 30 years: 'We grow our own because I like to have what I need to hand for particular constructions. It also helps to understand the material and achieve a different palette.' She will sell one-third of this year's produce to other makers: 'It's a growing market.

These days, Mrs Crisp works with her daughter, Issy Wilkes, in a partnership, Willow with Roots. As a former theatre designer, Mrs Wilkes often used willow to create the carcase for stage figures. 'It has such light, workable properties,' she explains. She now makes large pieces to commission, such as hanging lampshades, colourful woven play pods and wedding arches in which willow has the starring role.