41. Martin-Baker Ejection Seats

Martin-Baker supplies ejection seats for 93 air forces worldwide. The Martin-Baker company is the only company to offer a fully integrated escape system which meets the latest pilot operational capability and safety standards. Martin-Baker seats have been fitted into over 80 fixed-wing and rotary types with the most recent being the JSF F-35 programme.

Since the first live ejection test in 1946, 7,344 lives have been saved by Martin-Baker ejection seats. The company's headquarters are in Higher Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. The factory is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world where precision engineering is absolutely key. Any mistake and the seat will be ineffective and with fighter jets becoming more and more sophisticated, the engineering behind the seats must always be ahead.

40. Moon Throws

Located in Yorkshire, traditional home of the English cloth mills, the company is unique in being a fully vertical mill, with dyeing, blending, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing processes all taking place on one site.

Throughout the world the name "Moon" has become synonymous with design and innovation.  For many years our ranges have continued to offer the assurance of luxurious quality and unique understanding of the ever changing needs of our customers.

Natural fibres predominate in our collection – wool, cashmere, silk, linen and others.   Where beneficial to the properties of the cloth, man-made fibres may be introduced.  Combining tradition and progress we produce  cloth of the highest quality.

State of the art manufacturing allied to a highly skilled workforce enable a wide diversity of fabrics to be manufactured at competitive price levels – a prerequisite to success in today’s market place.

39. Norris Bedding

Norris Bedding have been making mattresses using traditional methods since 1945, when they started trading as R. J. Norris, a small family firm. At that time materials were hard to come by so expertise in upholstery and refurbishing mattresses was essential.

From handmade divans to hand teased loose filling mattresses, every part of their beds is made by hand in London. Each bed is individually made to order, using no machinery. The end result is one of the best made beds that money can buy. Every part of the construction is done by hand by craftsman showing that quality and craftsmanship really do go hand in hand.

38. Canvas Wash Bag

Tusting is a family firm based in the heart of the English countryside, with its roots deep in the English leather and shoe trade. The fifth generation of the family is now at the helm, following a long line of Tustings who have been tanning, grading and trading the world’s finest leathers for over 130 years.

They now make a range of bags and leather goods from their workshop which lies close to the original tannery founded in 1875. It is home to a new generation of highly skilled craftsmen making bags for their own range as well as on behalf of others.

This wash bag is made from canvas with a waterproof nylon inner. The look fantastic and are brilliantly made.

37. Leather Games Set

Daines and Hathaway is still amongst the most prestigious traditional leather goods makers, producing products which continue to be quintessentially English in style. All of their products are made in England, combining the experience of the true craftsman, with the most beautiful leathers and superior quality fittings to create truly exquisite pieces to be cherished for years to come.

This leather covered games compendium is a particular favorite and is a good example of the quality on offer from British craftsmen.

36. Bellyboards

You would be forgiven for thinking that there are two types of surfing, standing up on fibreglass ‘surfboards’ or lying down on foam ‘bodyboards.’ However one innovative company in Devon has kick-started a revival in the original wooden bellyboards. For long before people stood up on ‘Malibu’ surf boards in Britain in the 1960’s, they surfed the Atlantic rollers lying down on thin flat wooden boards. The board design was based on the ancient Hawaiin Paipo boards (Paipo meaning short or small board). In Hawaii people learnt the art of riding prone on these short wooden boards before they attempted to stand up on the longer ‘alaia’ boards.

In Britain this type of surfboard was first used as early as the 1800’s, although it was not until after the First World War when veterans returned home in the early 1920’s that the sport of ‘surf riding’ on bellyboards started to become widespread.

The Original Surfboard Company hand craft their bellyboards in Britain from birch plywood. They individually cut and steam bend each board to give it a unique curve and nose. The boards are then either yacht varnished by hand or given a spray painted finish. The Original Surfboard Company are on a mission to preserve and revive traditional British made wooden surf boards and the art of surf riding. Hats off to them.

35. Wicker coffins

The commercial willow industry in Britain suffered catastrophically after the introduction of plastic alternatives in the 1950’s. However recently a strong recovery has been made as eco-conscious consumers flock back to this most traditional and green of sectors.  Willow is made into many products, including wicker baskets, hampers, furniture, artists charcoal and even coffins. The heart of British willow production is the Somerset Levels, whose rich wetlands provide the perfect conditions for rapid growth. A Somerset ‘withie’, the wicker variant of willow can reach over 8 feet in height in a well watered season.

The art of willow production has not particularly changed for hundreds of years, save for some mechanisation in the harvest. In England the largest commercial producer is PH Coate & Son who have been using the same techniques since 1819.

At P.H. Coate new willow beds are planted in the spring using pieces of willow from the previous crop. The new bed is mature after three years and with careful management can last up to 30 years. The crop is harvested each winter time after the leaves have died and fallen.  These leaves provide nutrients for the following years, eliminating the need for artificial fertilisers. Machines cut the willow and strip the bark. The withie rods are then dried, cut to the appropriate length and handmade into a plethora of wicker products.