Bespoke
The workshop has been responsible for countless bespoke ecclesiastical commissions. Starting with the early collaboration between Robert Thompson and Fr Paul Nevill OSB who created a significant commission for Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire.
Thanks to the collaboration of local metal workers who are able to match our same high standards along with a wide selection of naturally seasoned English Oak we are able to respond to the call of international designers looking to create that unique statement.
Hand-crafted in our workshop in Kilburn, Yorkshire, seasoned English oak furniture has been at the heart of homes and part of the fabric of Britain for 120 years.
Monroe Chapel. The memorial chapel in the Lutheran retirement home in the small town of Monroe, Michigan State USA, was a commission that required our entire team of skilled craftsmen to be involved with the crafting of the furnishings. It took several thousand-man hours and many oak trees to create the interior of this beautiful chapel. All the items were produced in our Kilburn workshops then shipped across the Atlantic ocean for installation by our team of highly skilled craftsmen.
Nepalese speakers chairs. Commissioned by the foreign office in London, two speaker’s chairs for the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal. The chairs were a gift from the UK government to the Nepalese people, in gratitude for their input during the second World war.
The commission for the Eton Alter was for a ‘plain, simple but strong’ contemporary piece which would ‘push the boundaries of craftsmanship, complementing rather than competing with the richness of the chapel’. Within the decorative abundance of the interior, which includes 15th century Flemish-style wall paintings and mid-20th century stained-glass, the new altar commands the space through the purity and simplicity of its design.
Eton Alter
The College Chapel at Eton was constructed in the years between the school’s foundation by King Henry VI in 1440 and his deposition by Edward IV in 1461. The chapel interior includes a striking set of wall paintings, which were completed by four master painters between 1479 and 1487. The paintings were ordered to be white-washed over in 1560 by the Protestant church authorities and were not fully revealed again until their restoration in 1923.
The Rothschild library is particularly exciting, as it places the company's work at the heart of a striking new building destined to become a landmark in the City of London. Whilst the architecture is impressively modern, the location at New Court on St Swithin's Lane is steeped in history, having been the base for the Rothschild business for over 200 years, since Nathan Rothschild first arrived in London in 1809. This is the fourth iteration of Rothschild's London headquarters to occupy this site.
Process
1. Design concepts
The process starts with an idea or inspiration which is then committed to detailed drawings for approval.
2. Prototypes
All the unique details of the design will be tested by creating prototypes to prove the structure and finish of the final piece. This could include bespoke metal work, jointing methods, surface texture and finishing.
3. Making
Once the prototype has been approved the design will be put into production. This may well include the attention of several craftsmen both in the workshop as well as those who are chosen to support your design.
4. Finishing
The finishing touches will be applied based on the design requirements and the approval of the prototype example.
