Wooden casks, or what most people today call barrels, are containers of exceptional strength, durability, versatility and mobility, but they have become a rarity in Britain, displaced so completely by metal containers that it is hard to imagine their importance in former times.
The coopers who made them were once numerous and independent craftsmen, while latterly many were employed by breweries. Their craft was not only economically vital but was physically demanding and required skill acquired through years of practice.
This book seeks to preserve the memory of their special skills, tracing the history of the craft and its considerable scope, while describing and illustrating how a barrel was made.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
The barrel: An invention of distinction
Making a barrel
Timber
Ancillary tradesmen
The village cooper
Coopering in the cities
Naval coopering
Buoys
Gunpowder
Maritime coopering
Miscellany
Coopering today
Bibliography
Glossary
Places to visit
Index
