Norsey WoodlaNd Crafts
In a quiet glade within the wood sits a giant, drum-like metal kiln. Here, Simon Stock plies a trade that would be recognised by medieval craftsmen. He forages the woodland floor after coppicing, seasoning larger gleanings for firewood and making charcoal. A former stockbroker, he took a woodcraft course 18 years ago, an idea suggested by his wife when he was taking a career break to look after their children. He never went back. When he is on ‘a burn’, Simon and ranger Richard Huggins tend the kiln night and day. “There’s something primeval about it,” he says. “We carefully control the heat. The final eight hours are critical. If you shut it down too early, you just get dry wood; too late, and it’s ash. There’s no window in the furnace; all you’ve got to go on is the colour of the smoke, the temperature of the kiln, the smell, and that gut instinct.” It pays to tread carefully where charcoal has been made. “The charcoal burners’ lucky symbol is the adder,” explains Simon. “Snakes like heat, and charcoal, being black, absorbs heat. The old charcoal burners would move their earthen clamps wherever the woods were being coppiced, and snakes would move into the warm patch where they had been.” His charcoal is mainly used as high-end barbecue fuel as it lights very easily. “Hornbeam is the hottest charcoal you can get; it’s traditionally used by blacksmiths,” he says. “There are also aromas that come with each wood. Oak and sweet chestnut are acidic. Birch and alder have a slightly sweeter smell. Fruit wood brings its own aromas.” Sadly, traditionally-made charcoal is fragile and does not travel well. “Our motto is ‘coppiced locally, made locally, sold locally’,” says Simon.