A river of creativity
- Felicity taught herself rush seating while recovering from a car accident
- She goes punting on rivers to collect rush
- About 2500m bolts of rush are stored in her 14th-century tythe barn
People may associate punting with a gentle float down the river from the colleges of Oxford or Cambridge, but Felicity Irons uses these flat-bottomed boats to continue a tradition that is centuries-old. Each summer, she and her team of helpers – including her dog, Molly – punt down local rivers to cut and harvest freshwater bulrushes. The rush stems can be up to 3m in length, quite a sight when loaded onto the narrow 5m punt. “During the summer, we cut two tons of rush a day using four punts.” That's just the beginning. Felicity and her studio make traditional rush floor matting, basketry, furniture and other objects that are exported all over the world. “We are the only people in the UK who are involved in the whole process from harvesting to weaving.”
Interview
- How did you become a rush merchant?
- When I started weaving rush in the early 90s, I bought my supplies from a man called Tom Arnold in Huntingdonshire. His family had been cutting rush there since the 1700s. When Tom died in 1994, I took the business over because I could not bear to see the tradition disappear.
- Where do you find inspiration?
- The river inspires me and I get excited every day that I go out to cut rush. It is the most beautiful material to work with and has endless possibilities, depending on the technique used. These can include pairing weaving, check-weave, twill and bias plaiting. Rush is as adaptable and versatile as we are.
- How do you express innovation in your work?
- The techniques remain traditional, but I enjoy collaborating with designers to express them in new ways, as with Faye Toogood’s refurbishment for the Mulberry flagship in London, and Rush Chair with Christopher Jenner for Gallery Fumi.
- What's been a highlight of your career?
- Being awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Honours list of 2017. Not bad for someone who set up with a grant and loan from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust when I was still working from my mum’s sitting room. That support helped me afford my first workshop.
Felicity Irons is a master artisan: she began her career in 1992 and she started teaching in 1995
Works
Where
Felicity Irons
