When you think of colourful coffins your first thought probably isn’t one made from willow. Now that’s perfectly understandable.
While there are an extraordinary number of different willow varieties grown in the UK, (we grow over 60 different types on our Somerset farm) the colour palette of the willow rods is limited. Yes, there are varieties that produce beautiful coloured rods, but as the willow dries the colours become more muted.
So, just how do you produce beautiful colourful coffins with willow? Well, it takes a great deal of time, effort and skill. The Musgrove family has been involved in growing willow for nearly 100 years and has spent the past decade perfecting the art of the coloured willow coffin. To produce a single colourful coffin takes hundreds of hours of labour.
Colourful coffins – How it all begins
First, you have to grow the willow. Cuttings take around 3 years to become established. During the growing season, a willow grower will be at the mercy of the weather and wildlife. (We work alongside nature and keep the use of pesticides to a minimum.) Once you’re up and running, willow rods can be harvested every year for decades. Willow is an incredible sustainable and eco-friendly crop.
Brightening things up
Once the willow is harvested, it is dried and then sorted by hand. A machine is yet to be invented that can do the job of sorting and grading willow better than a human being.
To produce our coloured coffins, willow rods are hand-dyed. Our process is probably very different to the vast majority of coloured coffin manufacturers. (The willow is not painted after it has been woven.) Only non-toxic dyes are used and it takes a great deal of skill and experience to get right. Seconds can make a difference in the quest to obtain the correct shade. Once the willow is dyed, dried and then soaked, one of our weavers can set to work on making a coloured coffin. It’s also important not to leave coloured rods in bright sunlight for too long. Too much exposure to bright light will dull and fade the colour.
Coloured coffins in white
A different technique entirely is employed here to produce white willow. Our highest quality green willow is freshly cut in winter and then left to stand in water until the sap rises in the spring. The willow is then stripped of its bark (without boiling) to leave a white colour rod. The stripping and drying of the rods takes place on the same day. The willow is then stored in a dry, dark area to ensure it retains its ‘whiteness’.
It’s worth remembering that white willow of this nature is not a brilliant white. The end result is a more muted colour. It’s interesting that our Avalon coffin (available in a traditional shape or with a curved end) is one of the most popular coloured coffin’s in our range.
An extensive colour palette
The colour choice is extensive. Red, orange, yellow, dark green, light green, dark blue, light blue, lilac, purple, light pink, fuchsia pink, dark grey, light grey, burgundy, black and turquoise willow rods are available to choose from.
Demand for colourful coffins
Our coloured coffins are becoming a popular choice. More block colour, full colour and rainbow coffins are leaving our workshops than ever before. A greater number of families are also choosing to customise a coffin in our range. This may entail a loved one’s favourite colour being used as a decorative band or liner. The resulting coffin is unique, personal and beautiful to look at.
Our skilled weavers make colourful coffins in all shapes and sizes, from traditional to oversize boat designs. Why shouldn’t a coffin reflect the life and passions of the deceased?
Colourful coffins & ashes caskets
Some families ask us to weave an ashes casket to match their chosen coffin. Our handmade caskets are available in different shapes and bespoke work is undertaken. Each coffin and casket is made with a great deal of skill and care.
If a colourful coffin isn’t your thing, our extensive range of coffins and caskets includes those with natural willow finishes. Buff willow, antique buff, steamed and natural barked willow are all beautiful in their own right.
Colourful coffins – A final thought
Lots of us lead colourful lives, are deemed to be colourful characters or have colourful careers, so why not embark on our final journey in a colourful coffin?
