One foggy day

One Street 4

Our village was covered with a thick fog all day, so I decided it was time to make an indoor visit. If we turn off the road, just before we reach the now famous bus shelter, we come to an old cottage (dated 1632 on the lintel). Open the ancient, paint-peeled door and there we find a very welcome fire and two master craftsmen at work.

These are father and son, Rakemakers of Dufton. If you are starting to think - 'I know about this', then you would probably be right. This business has been the subject of several magazine articles and television films, including a quite recent one on Countryfile.

John and Graeme Rudd make wooden rakes and they sell a lot of them. They are made from Ash and Silver birch and are mainly handcrafted. Although there are several machines in use in another workshop next door, most of the processes are still done by hand here. John carried on the business set up by his grandfather in the 19th century and now his son works alongside him, so four generations in the work. John has lived in the village all his life and is a stalwart of the community. He's a great guy; we may meet him again.

If you want to know more about this, you could watch a delightful little film, where the two of them talk about the work. You will also see a little of our village and 'my street'.