A message from the Prime Warden
Dear Fellow Basketmakers,
I was delighted to welcome our Honorary Liveryman HRH the Duchess of Gloucester to our Basketry Showcase at the Dutch Church, where some of the finest craftspeople in the country were showing their work and demonstrating their skills. I made two presentations to the Duchess: a willow apple basket made in Royal Deeside by newly-elected Yeoman Maker Helen Jackson, and a bird feeder that I made from willow grown in my garden at Lauriston Castle. The Duchess met all the makers and toured our heritage exhibit, which included exquisite miniature baskets collected by Queen Mary and presented to the Company in 1954.
Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success!
Warmest wishes,
Dorothy
Lady Lauriston, Prime Warden
Who we are
For centuries, our members were all professional basketmakers and we regulated their trade in the City. Today we welcome people from all walks of life.
We continue to promote the craft of basketmaking and through our Charitable Trust we also help good causes and communities across London.
We have earned a reputation as one of the friendliest Livery Companies, and our social programme extends from formal dinners to family days out, including our well-known basketmaking days.
Basketry is an ancient craft - the oldest known baskets were found at Fayum in Egypt and dated to c.10,000BC. We cannot claim such a long history, but we celebrated our 450th anniversary in 2019 - the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers was formally constituted by the Court of Aldermen in 1569 to help support the trade.
Today we are an inclusive and friendly Livery Company which supports basketry, the City of London and London charities.
Please contact our Clerk for further information or visit our Membership page.
