Withy Lore

From common sight to critically endangered craft

Until the 1960’s and 1970’s willow crab/lobster pots, known locally as withy pots, were a common sight around the South West coastline. Crafted with great skill over the winter months and cast into the sea with the hope of a good catch, these pots were a lifeline to fishermen and their families for generations. With the introduction of plastic pots, withy pot making rapidly declined and today few pot makers remain. Pot styles/techniques vary from place to place, person to person, like a signature. In turn these signatures reveal stories about place and community. As pots generally lasted 1 season, and most makers didn’t document their process, many designs have already been lost. Withy pot making is now classified as ‘critically endangered’ on the Red List of Endangered Crafts, meaning it is at serious risk of no longer being practised in the UK. There is therefore an urgency to document and support this fascinating craft and its heritage, that is deeply connected to our relationship with the natural world.

Withy Lore- what we’ll be doing…

Opportunities for withy pot makers to share, with both us and each other, will enable us to capture stories, knowledge and reflections about this unique craft. A touring exhibition, launching at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery and accompanying engagement programme, will share the material collected through film, illustration, installation, audio, photography and collage

Oral Histories and Films

Over 2024 Withy Lore spent time with those involved in the withy pot craft, recording oral histories and documenting the craft through the creation of a series of short films. Extracts from the project’s oral histories are presented in the exhibition through a listening station and series of collaged stories. Using found imagery and old postcards, these collages illustrate sections of the stories, presenting them as open books. a series of films present personal stories of the craft. The recordings will be archived in full at Kresen Kernow, ensuring this craft is well documented for future generations to learn from.

: Films on display

: Listening station

: Story collages

Illustrations and Jewellery

Withy Lore is being delivered in partnership with multimedia artist Anna Pope, who has who has a passion for withy pots and a personal family connection to the craft. As part of the project Anna is producing a series of illustrations and intaglio prints that share pot designs from around the South West. She is also sharing her beautiful etched brooches, which tell a seasonal story of the craft.

Community Installation

Inspired by an archive photograph in which clusters of withy pots appear like barnacles, Withy Lore worked with withy pot makers to produce a large-scale installation. This showcased different pot styles, and involved passing on skills to young people. The exhibition in Truro provided further opportunities for the installation to grow, with participants of all ages to contribute through simple weaving techniques.

: Withy pot barnacles at Penberth Cove

Engaging Younger Generations

Various opportunities for children and young people are woven throughout the project, supporting learning, wellbeing and creativity. These have included a workshop with Marazion Primary school, supporting students from Cornwall College in Camborne to make films and a series of engagement events such as families days to accompany the exhibition.

Withy Lore Exhibition

The Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery from 1stMarch – 30th June 2025.
Talks and community events, ran alongside the Withy Lore exhibition, celebrating the community of makers past and present and preserving its heritage for the future. This immersive exhibition used a narrative, sensory rich approach to interpretation making it accessible and engaging to a wide audience.