Heritage Crafts

Coopering (non-spirits)

The making of wooden casks bound with metal hoops, for beer, cider, and wine, as well as non-functional casks. See the separate entry for coopering (spirits).
ENDANGERED
Status
Endangered
Craft category
Wood
Historic area of significance
UK
Area practiced currently
England, mainly in Yorkshire
Origin in the UK
1st century AD
Current No. of professionals (Main income)
5 National Cooperage Federation Annual Survey 2021
Current No. of professionals (Side income)
1
Current No. of trainees
1 Apprentice

History

Traditionally there were three types of coopering: dry coopering, white coopering, and wet coopering. The first was the least skilled, the last the most skilled. Within wet coopering, a distinction is made between coopering for beer and for spirits. Coopering for beer requires different skills because the casks must withstand the pressure of the fermenting beer.

Local forms

  • Dry coopering which does not have to hold fluid
  • White cooperage which in general was done at a village level making household utilities
  • Wet cooperage which has to store fluids in sometimes under pressure and also sometimes for many years

Sub-crafts

  • Domestic cooperage – the making of wooden bucket and tubs for the home

Issues affecting the viability

Market issues: The need for casks is entirely driven by market requirements. The requirement for casks for beer is very low, but the requirement for wine is hoped to increase as English wine increases its foothold.

Skills issues: There is a decline in numbers of practitioners and trainees in this craft. However, the making of casks for spirits is buoyant and the skills are transferable.

Support organisations

  • The Worshipful Company of Coopers
  • Incorporation of Coopers of Glasgow
  • The National Cooperage Federation (Trade Organisation of Employers of Coopers and arbiters of the Indentured Apprentice Cooper Programme)

Training organisations

The National Cooperage Federation oversees apprenticeships for coopers in the UK, ensuring a standardized, four-year program that combines practical skills with theoretical knowledge and a focus on traditional techniques.

Overview:
The National Cooperage Federation (NCF) plays a crucial role in the preservation and development of the cooper trade in the UK, which focuses on the making and repairing of wooden casks and barrels, particularly those used in the whisky industry. 

Apprenticeship Program:
The NCF oversees a 4-year apprenticeship program designed to train young individuals in the art and skill of coopering.  It is a work-based, assessed program, with a focus on developing practical skills and techniques in the craft. The first three years are dedicated to learning the history of coopering and the physical craft techniques before moving into mechanical cooperage in the fourth year. 

The apprenticeship is assessed and governed by the NCF as an independent body that oversees all cooperages in the UK. 

Craftspeople currently known

  • Ethan Fairweather – Samuel Smith’s Brewery
  • Alistair Simms – Jensen’s Cooperage
  • Jonathan Manby – Jensen’s Cooperage
  • Joseph Dunlop – Apprentice at Jenson’s Cooperage
  • David Poulter – Jenson’s Cooperage
  • Mark Newton – Marstons Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
  • Gary Hardy – part-time cooper at Marstons Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.(Not recorded in Annual Survey)
  • Euan Findlay completed four-year apprenticeship at Theakstons Cooperage and is now working as a cooper at Theakstons.

Domestic cooperage

References

Red List Reviewers 2025

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

  • National Cooperage Federation – Survey of members 2025
  • Clerk, Worshipful Company of Coopers

We consult with a wide range of practitioners and organisations to review and update the Red List. Some choose to remain anonymous but all feedback is taken into account.

If you would like to suggest any changes or additions to this page please contact us here

National Lottery Heritage Fund
Swire Charitable Trust
The Royal Mint
Pilgrim Trust
Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation
William Grant Foundation

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