My previous blog, about my visit to the V&A, ended with a picture of oak, sawn and milled from a tree grown from an acorn harvested at the site of the WW1 battle in Verdun, France. This piece of historic, travelled wood was grown at Kew Gardens and handed to me, quite a few years later, at outdoor furniture maker Gaze Burvill’s bucolic barn, seated in Alton, Hampshire.
I was invited to the event, called Using Wood for Good: Design in the Sustainable Age by Woodland Heritage Chair, Simon Burvill.
Simon’s company, worked in partnership with Kew Gardens and in particular Tony Kirkham to create The Remembrance and Hope Seat.
Years later, Gaze Burvill launch a new garden bench, called Amity, which is available now. It is a fantastic project and a beautiful piece, using British oak, and supporting Woodland Heritage’s work. It also houses a traditional foxtail wedged mortise and tenon joint, made using a CNC; heritage at work.
Also at this event, I got a close up look at a wonderful piece of historic wood from the 104 gun HMS Victory, best known as Horation Nelson’s flagship at the Battle Trafalgar.
““First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.””
I think this is a great allegory for the sustainable use of wood; thriving, biodiverse, productive woodlands being the victory and remarkable wooden buildings, furniture and objects, I would argue, being one of the best uses.
At the Gaze Burvill event, warmly hosted by Carole Annett of Country & Town House magazine, we heard from Alex Mowat, Woodland Heritage Trustee, Dougal Driver of Grown in Britain and Marie Carlisle of Goldfinger, who design and craft furniture which has a positive impact on community and planet. Each of these passionate people touched upon the economic, social and environmental benefits of engaging with the provenance of wood.
Goldfinger’s manifesto is a must-read.
The event was capped with a tour of the magnificent Gaze Burvill workshop and vital networking time. I feel certain the designers, makers, landscapers, sawmill owners and foresters in attendance left with a renewed energy to use British wood.
