Why Drey Workshop?

We are lucky here in Argyll to have resident Red Squirrels. Scotland is home to 75% of the UK’s population and they are a protected species. The natural woodland around Carry Farm is an ideal habitat for these delightful wee creatures. It is a real treat to watch them scamper through the trees and bury, then try to find, their stashes of hazelnuts.

At Drey Workshop we are inspired to make objects that are both functional and attractive for our customers homes. It was the focus on the ‘domestic’ that made us think that squirrels would be perfect partners in our venture. People have a long history of using clay to make ‘vessels’. It could be said that squirrels make vessels out of the earth to store their winter stash in the same way our jar owners may hoard biscuits for munching on cold November evenings!

Contrary to popular belief Red Squirrels do not hibernate, but they do meet with their partners to cosy up in dreys for the winter months. Dreys are usually messy affairs about the size of a football. They are commonly built with twigs in the forks of trees and are lined with lichen, moss and leaves. In the summer months the squirrels move to more open dens.

We knew we’d found the perfect name for our headquarters when we discovered the surname Dreyer means ‘turner’ from the German ‘drehen’ meaning ‘to rotate’. ‘Going round in circles’ using the pottery wheel and wood lathe is what we do best!

If you’d like to know more about our tufty friends, and how to help them, the Scottish Wildlife Trust have an excellent website www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk