Musgrove Willows was founded by Arthur 'Sam' Musgrove who started by cutting tree sticks for furniture back in the 1930's.

Three Generations of the Musgrove family, Withy Growers, Westonzoyland, Somerset 1996 - Copyright Chris Chapman Around this time willow growing was very popular for farmers on the Somerset levels, many farmers grew their willow then bought and sold it at local auctions. Arthur passed on his skills, knowledge and experience to his son Leslie, 'Les', and in turn passed on the family tradition to his son Michael, probably Somersets youngest grower, who now runs the business with his wife Ellen.

Being a third generation willow grower, Michael calls upon over 65 years of specialised knowledge and experience, handed down to him by his father and grandfather. He now presides over nearly 60 acres of perfect willow growing land on the Somerset Levels, recently planting 9 acres of over 50 different varieties of willow. The resulting products can be seen in many unusual guises:

The giant M5 Willow Man
A 28 foot tall Pembrokeshire Otter
On TV for 'Tikkabilla' and 'Life On The Levels'

As well as being delivered to many destinations worldwide, including:

New Zealand
Denmark
Germany
America

As committed producers, we are members of the Basket Makers Association and Somerset Willow in Partnership (SWIP). To learn more about our wonderful willow have a look around this site, or why not join us for one of our one or two day courses? We have a number of friendly, knowledgeable tutors on hand to help you to learn more about using willow to create beautiful items, from hurdles to living sculptures, for yourself. Visit our courses page for more details or contact us, and we will happily give you any information that you require.