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Withy
A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles.Life on the Upper Thames by H. R. Robertson (1875), chapters II-IV The term is also used to refer to any type of flexible rod of natural wood used in rural crafts such as or created through coppicing [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bitter Withy
The Bitter Withy or Mary Mild ( Roud #452) is an English folk song reflecting an unusual and apocryphal vernacular idea of Jesus Christ. The ''withy'' of the title is the Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist ... and the song gives an explanation as to why the willow tree rots from the centre out, rather than the outside in. The song was recorded by the Kingston Trio on their album '' The Last Month of the Year''. English folk artist John Tams recorded the song on his album ''The Reckoning'' (2005; won 2006 the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for the 'Best Album') and is contained in ''The Definitive Collection'' (2007) also. Lyrics :As it fell out on a holy day, :The drops of rain did fall, did fall, :Our Saviour asked leave of His mother, Mary, :If He might go play at b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills. The Somerset Levels have an area of about and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to the south are drained by the River Parrett, and the areas to the north by the rivers Axe and Brue. The Mendip Hills separate the Somerset Levels from the North Somerset Levels. The Somerset Levels consist of marine clay "levels" along the coast and inland peat-based "moors"; agriculturally, about 70 per cent is used as grassland and the rest is arable. Willow and teazel are grown commercially and peat is extracted. A Palaeolithic flint tool found in West Sedgemoor is the earliest indication of human presence in the area. The Neolithic people exploited the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways, including the world's oldest known timber trackway, the Post Track, dating from about 3800 BC. The Levels were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level, resulting in a stool. New growth emerges, and after a number of years, the coppiced tree is harvested, and the cycle begins anew. Pollarding is a similar process carried out at a higher level on the tree in order to prevent grazing animals from eating new shoots. ''Daisugi'' (台杉, where ''sugi'' refers to Japanese cedar), is a similar Japanese technique. Many silviculture practices involve cutting and regrowth; coppicing has been of significance in many parts of lowland temperate Europe. The widespread and long-term practice of coppicing as a landscape-scale industry is something that remains of special importance in southern England. Many of the English language terms referenced in this article are pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pollarding
Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In ancient Rome, Propertius mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE. The practice occurred commonly in Europe since medieval times, and takes place today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a determined height or to place new shoots out of the reach of grazing animals. Traditionally, people pollarded trees for one of two reasons: for fodder to feed livestock or for wood. Fodder pollards produced "pollard hay" for livestock feed; they were pruned at intervals of two to six years so their leafy material would be most abundant. Wood pollards were pruned at longer intervals of eight to fifteen years, a pruning cycle tending to produce upright poles favored for fencing and boat construction. Supple young willow or hazel branches may be harvested as material for weaving baskets, fences, and garden constr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fascine
A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood or other material used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so on. In war they have often been used to help armiesin modern times, especially tanks and other vehiclescross trenches, valleys, marshes, muddy or uneven terrain, etc. Early military use Fascine bundles were used defensively for revetting (shoring up) trenches or ramparts, especially around artillery batteries, or offensively to fill in ditches and cross obstacles on a battlefield. Fascine bridges are a regularly attested feature of Roman military engineering and would have been widespread in the ancient world due to their usefulness and ease of construction. During the Siege of Alesia, the Gauls repeatedly attempted to repel the invading Romans by filling their trenches in with fascines and covering their traps, to support their cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willow Man
''Willow Man'' is a large outdoor sculpture by Serena de la Hey. It is in a field to the west of the M5 motorway, near Bridgwater in Somerset, South West England, near to the Bristol to Exeter railway line and south of junction 23 of the motorway. It stands , with a arm span, and is made of black maul willow withies woven over a 3-tonne steel frame. ''Willow Man'' was commissioned by South West Arts, for the Year of the Artist, and the Moate family the land owner. The sculpture was unveiled in September 2000. It marks the millennium and celebrates the role of willow in the ecology and craft tradition of the Somerset Levels. The first sculpture was burnt down in an arson attack on 8 May 2001. The sculpture was rebuilt by the same artist in October 2001, and a circular moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wattle (construction)
Wattle is made by weaving flexible branches around upright stakes to form a woven lattice. The wattle may be made into an individual panel, commonly called a hurdle, or it may be formed into a continuous fence. Wattles also form the basic structure for wattle and daub wall construction, where wattling is '' daubed'' with a plaster-like substance to make a weather-resistant wall. History Evidence of wattle construction was found at Woodcutts Settlement from the British Iron Age,The Development of English Building Construction by C. F. Innocent (1916) and the Roman Vitruvius wrote about wattles in his book on architecture, '' |
Basketmaking
Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets may be known as basket makers and basket weavers. Basket weaving is also a rural craft. Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials—anything that will bend and form a shape. Examples include pine, straw, willow, oak, wisteria, forsythia, vines, stems, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, and fine wooden splints. There are many applications for basketry, from simple mats to hot air balloon gondolas. Many Indigenous peoples are renowned for their basket-weaving techniques. History While basket weaving is one of the widest spread crafts in the history of any human civilization, it is hard to say just how old the craft is, because natural materials like wood, grass, and animal remains decay naturally and constan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed—trapping air—thatching also functions as insulation. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost local vegetation. By contrast, in some developed countries it is the choice of some affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home, would like a more ecologically friendly roof, or who have purchased an originally thatched abode. History Thatching methods have traditionally been passed down from generation to generation, and numerous descriptions of the materials and methods used in Europe over the past three centuries survive in archives and early publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Widmore, London
Widmore is an area of Greater London, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Sundridge, west of Bickley, north of Bromley Common, and east of Bromley. History Widmore derives from 'Withmere', a placename first mentioned in 1226 and thought to mean 'pool where the withy grows'. Wythemere, Widmere and Wigmore were variant spellings. The area remained a tiny hamlet, save for a brick-works, as late as the 19th century. The pool that gave the area its name was still extant in 1819,however it was later built over; it was located just west of Lewes Road and to the south the Oak pub. The local landowner John Wells sold part of the land lying north of Widmore Road to housing developers in 1845, and by the late 1850s the area contained some 40 large properties, plus a number of smaller cottages. Further building work occurred in this area in 1888. The lands south of Widmore Road were historically part of Bromley Palace, but w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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