Meet London's Only Charcoal Maker at the Witches Coven!

Tottenham-based Iain Loasby setting up his charcoal maker for a weekend's work in Queen's Wood

If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise - and a rather nice surprise as it happens. Iain Loasby will be making charcoal in Queen's Wood between Muswell Hill, Highgate and Crouch End from Friday 12th to Monday 15th June.

Between about 9 and 10 each morning you can chat with Iain as he unloads his previous night's charcoal burn and sets up the burn for the coming day. When he's not working at the burner you may find him whittling away making wood pens or even his hazel hurdle fencing.

Iain's developed an interesting life for himself. He met his delightful wife Karen when they were both working as IT specialists for the BBC, supporting the BBC's main website. Iain then decided to make the big change and went from writing code to doing a full on woodland management course at Capel Manor. Whilst most of his classmates moved on to tree surgery and the like, Iain took a different route and decided to become London's only charcoal maker (though he can’t quite understand why!). 

He's stepped into an age old tradition. Charcoal was essential for a number of reasons during ancient and medieval times and it was in great demand. Charcoal makers (or more properly 'wood colliers') were a skilled breed. They often lived alone in small huts in the middle of forests to tend their wood piles and burn their charcoal.

A wood collier in times gone by

Charcoal lost its importance when people worked out how to make coke in the seventeenth century. By 1980 production in the UK was down to a few thousand tonnes a year and things were not looking good for the wood colliers. It is only very recently that things have apparently started to pick up. Over the last twenty years there has been a massive increase in demand for charcoal for the domestic barbecue market and Iain now has a ready market in restaurants and locals who need fuel for their barbecues.

Whilst we may all be surprised to find a charcoal maker here in Haringey, Iain may be in for a surprise or two himself over the wekend. He's sleeping out during the four day burn and one wonders what surprises the woods may have in store for him at night. Does he realises that what's called Queens’ Wood today (renamed from Churchyard Bottom Woof in 1897) is the site of one of London's plague pits. What medieval ghouls may be keeping him company tonight!

Whether he hears sounds through the night or not, it seems that plenty of others imbue the spot Iain’s chosen with a dark spiritual importance. He's set up in an open area surrounded by thirteen ancient oaks, known as the Witches Coven. Groups of witches are said to regularly meet there and rumours of walkers coming across animal carcasses abound!

More innocently, the coven is also the site for a number of pagan rituals. On August 1st this year you can join Henn's Tribe and pay homage to the horned lord of frolics, mirth and mischief for Pan's Picnic, a Harvest Ritual & Festive Lammas gathering. (More on that in London Woodland Witches, Wiccans & Outdoor Pagans).

By all accounts the coven's notoriety has spread and there’s now even a ghoulish spooky film based on and set in goings on in the woods.

Stay out of the woods at night if you must, but do get down over the weekend between 9 and 10 (Friday to Monday and meeting London's only charcoal maker). It's well worth a visit, and I imagine that Iain and Karen will make you very welcome. 

It's not too hard to find the witches' coven. I entered from Wood Vale and took the path that would be a direct continuation from the one leading off Wood Vale if the low brick wall wasn't in the way. See below. A map is also attached. You want Point 7.

Find out more about what Iain gets up to and look at his products on his website at www.rivenwoodcoppice.com and follow him on Twitter at @pileswasp.