Appeal for information on unusual Caithness basket
ARTIST and basketmaker Tim Johnson has made an appeal for information about an unusual basket he discovered in Caithness.
He came across it in the small-scale Thurso museum The Way It Was and was intrigued by it and carried out some research. Johnson, who comes from Newcastle, compared it with others in museums and collections around Europe and feels its weaving technique is special and not what is usually thought of as Scottish or British.
He will be demonstrating the art of basketmaking at Castlehill Heritage Centre at the weekend and would like to know more about the basket and hear from anyone who can help.
The centre's Muriel Murray is keen to assist. She said: "Tim has been up here before doing classes for us. On one trip he spotted the basket in the Thurso museum and would love to find out more about it. We agreed to help with his appeal and to try and get more information about the basket."
Mrs Murray thinks it dates from the early 1900s as that was the heyday of basket use. "It could date up to the 1930s but after that plastic was in more common use. It is made of rushes and is quite unusual. We hope to get some more information about it and how it ended up in the museum in Thurso."
Mrs Murray said the basket was made from "locally harvested rushes" and may have been used for gathering eggs or to take on a fishing trip to carry bait.
"Have you seen one similar? Do you know anyone who used to make them? Have you got any old photographs of similar baskets in use? Can you tell us anything about them? We would love to hear from you," she added.
Johnson was born in Newcastle in 1967 and after university was based near Barcelona in Spain for 26 years. He has also worked in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wright and Australia. He has won awards and lectured as a visiting artist in the UK, Ireland and Denmark as well as in Canada and the USA.
He will be at the centre on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone with information can contact Muriel Murray at Castlehill Heritage Centre at muriel@mjmurray.plus.com or Tim Johnson at boatbaskets@gmail.com