Last master cooper over a barrel

Barrel making is hard work that requires precision, says master cooper Alastair Simms. Photo / Supplied

The last master cooper in England is appealing for an apprentice in an effort to stop the ancient trade dying out.

Alastair Simms, 52, has advertised for someone to join his business in Masham, North Yorkshire, but there has been a disappointing response.

The work, which involves making wooden casks and vats for beer and cider, is physically demanding and an apprenticeship takes four years. The successful candidate must be able to lift heavy loads and demonstrate an affinity for using traditional tools.

"Not a lot of people know what a cooper is, and that was probably true even in its heyday," he said. "We pretty much do things the same way that the Romans did. The advent of machinery has made the process a bit easier, but we're still classed as hand coopers."

Simms, who started in the industry as a 16-year-old apprentice and spent 15 years becoming a master cooper, said the paucity of applicants was a reflection of the times.

"I hate to say it but I think we've got Americanised. The younger generation don't think they should be doing hard work, they think they should be sat behind a desk working on a computer."

Nevertheless, he is hopeful of finding someone to take on the apprenticeship and potentially take over the business when he retires.

Simms said: "People think it is a much easier skill to learn than it actually is. There is incredible precision involved.

"The skill of making the barrel is something that has to be cultivated and refined."

When he began his career at the Theakston Brewery in Masham, there were around 100 coopers in Britain. The introduction of metal casks in the 1960s has resulted in the trade almost being lost.

"I want to keep the industry alive in England," said Simms, who set up his own business, White Rose Cooperage, in 2013.

How to make a cask

1. Saw timber to length and use a cooper's side axe to shape the staves.

2. Round the insides with a hollowing knife and the outsides with a backing knife.

3. Pass over a six-foot plane and joint the staves, then raise the cask on a hoop before driving a truss hoop over the top to hold it together.

4. Bend into shape over an open fire to heat timber and make it pliable.

5. Add steel hoops and rivet them, then place over fire again to set.

6. Cut a groove where the heads (lids) will sit, measure heads with a compass, fit to size and slot into the groove.

7. Seal with a piece of rush.

8. Cut a bung hole into the side.

9. Add branding.