Peter Faulkner, born 1945
coracle maker
Peter Faulkner is a leading maker of coracles. Coracles are constructed by stretching cow hides, which Peter buys from his local butcher, over a wooden frame of hazel and willow from his own growing beds. The hides are cleaned and soaked in a salt bath for 10 days before they are ready to use. After being stretched over the frame, they are held in place by plaited horsehair and then left to dry naturally for everything to tighten up. Coracles are powered by a single paddle, which is worked in a figure of eight in front of the boat. Designed for use in swiftly flowing streams, the coracle has been in use in the British Isles for millennia, having been noted by Julius Caesar in his invasion of Britain in the mid first century BC. Where coracle fishing is performed by two coraclers the net is stretched across the river between the two coracles. The coraclers will paddle one handed, dragging the net in the other, and draw the net downstream. When a fish is caught, each hauls up an end of the net until the two boats are brought to touch, and the fish is then secured, using a priest (or knocker – a small block of wood) to stun the fish.
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