Oak bark tanner celebrates individuality of hides
18/08/2021
In an Instagram post showing the hand setting process, it said: “As standard, we don’t ‘correct’ the grain to remove these marks as this would disrupt the fibres, weakening the leather.
“This is what full grain means, and we think the individuality of each animal hide is rather beautiful.”
The traditional tannery is based in Colyton, Devon, and has been family run for over 150 years.
Hides are sourced from cattle from a Devon beef farm, and the oak bark comes from sustainably coppiced UK trees. It uses a 400 year old mechanism, run by a water wheel, to grind the bark.
The liquor is pumped into tanyard pits, where each hide is suspended on a wooden pole and washed in the tannin for three months. The hides are then layered with oak bark for another nine months. The leather is dried in the drying shed, powered using tannery waste, and then hand finished.
The leather is supplied to footwear brands, such as Tricker's, as well as furniture companies and the equestrian sector.
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