News — The Willow Crown

 

Willow Crown 

Our eye-catching Willow Crown sculpture installed in the middle of the Square was commissioned in celebration of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

Local artist Deb Hart designed and built the bespoke crown and the frame was built by local welder Graham Mayes.  Intertwining branches of willow have been used to create a beautiful focal point to mark the historic event.

Designing the crown

Deb and Graham started the process by sketching the design of the crown to match the St Edward’s Crown that King Charles III will be crowned with at the coronation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building the frame

Then Graham set to work building the metalwork and welding the frame to the bespoke specifications of the design. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The willow

By getting creative with nature Deb has built the crown using 4 different types of willow, all of which are sustainably sourced from right here in Britain. 

• 7 foot salix triandra ‘Black Maul’ for the base
• 5 foot salix purpurea ‘Dicky Meadows’ for the sides
• 4 foot salix ‘Old French’ 4 foot for the ball and cross
• Salix rubra ‘Harrison’s Seedling’ for the base

The willow is classed as brown willow, which means it is completely dry and needs soaking before use generally 1 day per foot, this process is done in large troughs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weave

To create the crown Deb has used several types of weave, the cross and ball are random weave, the sides are English rand and the base has a 3-rod wale top and bottom with a slew in between.

Presenting… The Willow Crown!