Ryle Brothers' Shaker boxes are handcrafted in our Harwood Workshop. We use the authentic methods developed by the Shakers over 200 years ago.
Originally used as storage for herbs, seeds, foodstuffs and small personal items, they make excellent gifts today. Their timeless simplicity will grace either the most minimalist loft apartment or more traditional furnishing.
Our Boxes are made from sustainable birch ply from Scandinavia. They are in their Natural colour, oiled and waxed or dyed in non-toxic wood colours. They are also available unfinished for colouring to suit personal taste or décor.
We are among the very few people who can make Shaker boxes.
The hand-cut
lid and side bands are soaked and individually shaped around a former and
fastened using tiny copper tacks.
Lids and bases are tightly fitted and pegged into place. The assembled boxes are sanded down to give the smoothest possible finish before waxing or dying. The hand crafting and attention to detail at each stage of production ensures the best possible finished item.
The Shakers were founded in the 1700s by the Wardles in Bolton and Ann Lee from Manchester at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. To escape persecution, they travelled to America and founded their self-sufficient communities beginning in New York state. Only by chance did we discover, when researching the history of the Shakers, that it all began just a few miles away in Bolton, then a hotbed of Non Conformists.
The Shaker Communities, or Colonies, were self-sufficient and soon developed a reputation for simple yet superbly executed design in all their crafts, from construction of barns and houses, down to bed linen and candlesticks. Shaker furniture soon became popular for its simplicity of design, innovation and economy of manufacture. The beauty and functionality of the Oval boxes perfectly illustrates the Shaker ethos. To leave more time to worship, they sought to improve the design of labour-saving machinery. Shakers are believed to have invented the circular saw and copy lathes, which increased productivity.
For further details e-mail ShakerBoxes
United Society of Shakers at Sabbathday Lake
The last remaining Shaker community
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