The trough trade…
The trough trade…
Stone troughs knocking about the farmyard are taken very
much for granted. But, as Tom Montgomery discovers,
they have a history all of their own
Janice Carter runs a small business dealing in antique troughs, millstones and staddle stones from her home at Hilla Green Farm, Hackness, near Scarborough, where her husband, Syd, is manager.
Janice has traced stone troughs back to the 12th century when they were one of the few receptacles capable of holding liquid. Animals have drunk and fed from them, they have been used inside and outside the home, communally on village greens and in such processes as cider-making. The monks of one local abbey, she believes, had them in their hospital wing and the kitchens.
Today they are in big demand principally for water features and garden planters. A modern fad is to have one outside for parties and barbecues. Filled with ice it keeps the wine cool. She has sold them to America and there is interest from Holland. One couple bought a stone sink from her to go in their renovated cottage in Ireland.
"It all started as a hobby when I wanted a trough to stop people walking across the grass in my own garden," said Janice.
"Friends asked me to get them some and it just grew." She buys at auctions or privately from customers homes.
A sale comes with a delivery service no matter what size the trough. With levers and rollers she and Syd have become adept at manipulating them on to a low-loading trailer. "We have carried them through peoples front doors to their gardens at the back," said Janice.
* All shapes and sizes
The troughs come in all shapes and sizes – big ones, small ones, and square, oblong and round ones. In her collection she has one you could fit the family car in. A rarity is a trough with a hump in the middle used for grinding corn.
Her first trough cost £3, now prices range from £50 into four figures. She has turned down £3000 for a trough.
Millstones, popular as outdoor table tops, are getting scarce and expensive. So are staddle stones, which make attractive mushroom-style garden features. These come mainly from the Cotswolds where they were used for supporting hay ricks. Janice, who is interested in anything old in stone, says her local sandstone makes the most attractive troughs. Millstone grit is a bit drab and troughs from limestone are rare. "Troughs go back hundreds of years and have been a crucial part of domestic and agricultural life," she said.
Janice can be contacted on 01723-882274.