"I wanted to create a photo archive that tells the story of the farm so the craft is preserved for future generations"

Black and white photograph showing cutting of the willow .

The Somerset Willow Farmers is a body of work that explores the day-to-day lives of the traditional willow farmers at Musgrove Willows, based in the village of Westonzoyland, near Bridgwater. With this project, photographer Josh Lomen aimed to capture the skills, character and expertise of present-day willow farmers working within a traditional landscape.

"This subject came to light as I was researching some ideas for my final major project at university. I was struggling with ideas for a while but I’d always wanted to focus on the landscapes of Somerset with my work. One day, I came across an article about the heritage crafts of the UK and how some are at risk of becoming extinct. So I started looking at what local crafts Somerset is known for and I came across willow crafting. I started researching this and the next day, I was given a business card for a local willow farm. I made contact and they were really pleased to get behind this project. 

The Cutting of the Willow (Image credit: Josh Lomen)

I wanted to create an archive of work that tells their story of the farm and lives so that the craft is preserved for future generations. The farm is one of only a small handful in the world that produces authentic willow coffins so it was fascinating getting to go behind the scenes and seeing the whole process from the cutting of the willow right through to adding the finishing touches to the coffins. It was a special thing getting to see these masters of the craft at work.

My aim for the project was to have a body of work that would serve as an archive, telling the story of the farmers’ daily lives so that future generations can look back at this traditional craft and see the legacy and the impact that willow farming has had on the Somerset landscape."

The Somerset Willow Farmers was on show at The Pressoir in Wells as part of Somerset Arts Week in October. Zines are available from Josh’s website, for more information, visit joshlomenphotography.com.

Tech details

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Zoom

Image - The Finishing Touches
Aperture: f/3.2
ISO: 1600
Shutter speed: 1/125s
Focal length: 24mm

Image - The Cutting of the Willow
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 400
Shutter speed: 1/250s
Focal length 24mm

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