Meet Mansfield – Antigua’s master weaver

Mansfield is a weaver who plies his trade at Shirley Heights in Antigua.

He’s been doing it for fifty-five years, he tells me.

Mansfield started out repairing fishing nets. Now he weaves baskets, hats and fish from palm tree leaves and sells them to the tourists who come to Shirley Heights every Sunday afternoon to watch the sun set over English Harbour, drink rum punch and listen to the steel pan man.

You can’t miss Mansfield. He sets up shop right next to the band.

Plus he surrounds himself with example of his craft as he works.

Mansfield’s a funny guy. I recommend sitting down and having a chat with him.

He’s enterprising too. I visited the day before Valentine’s Day and he had a selection of hearts and flowers, woven from palm tree leaves, especially for the occasion.

Oh, and he’s an incorrigible flirt. He’d made some single ‘roses’ from palm leaves for Valentine’s Day too and gave them to anyone who flashed him a smile.