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This is object is a weaver's bowl and is part of the National Trust's collection of objects from Townend in Troutbeck. Townend is a farmhouse which belonged to a stateman farming family called the Brownes for over 400 years. It houses a wide variety of objects nearly all of which belonged to the family.

The Weaver's bowl was used to amplify light in order to enable the family to sew, weaver or make rag rugs in the dark winter nights. The bowl was filled full of water and a candle was placed behind it, it would then act as a lens refracting (bending) the light to focus on the work that was being done. The bowl is quite rare because it is so delicate and not quite symetrical as it was handmade. It illustrates how important light was to the family as if they had some light they could do some work and earn some money. The modern expression is 'Time is money' but to the farmers in areas like Troutbeck light was money. The weaver's bowl tells us that story, which is why it is one of my favourite objects.