New bench at The National Trust’s Runnymede site, home of the Magna Carta

A dear friend, collegue and Master carver, Hugh Wedderburn, asked me to help out on a new project of his.  This was to carve a bench out of an old Oak that had been felled eight years previously.

Hugh says:

I have many happy memories of working with Isabel in our shared workshop days behind Kings Cross, The Goods Yard, then an inner-city wasteland with a diverse community of feral enterprises.

Isabel then escaped with Simon to the Devon and contact has been intermittent over the 30 intervening years, so, this opportunity to rekindle a working collaboration has been joyous.

Isabel’s talent for carving is complemented by her gentle and generous ability to share and guide as teacher, demystifying without trivialising, she has shown me chainsaw techniques I have previously been too intimidated to attempt.
A dear friend, collegue and Master carver, Hugh Wedderburn, asked me to help out on a new project of his. This was to carve a bench out of an old Oak that had been felled eight years previously.

Hugh says:

I have many happy memories of working with Isabel in our shared workshop days behind Kings Cross, The Goods Yard, then an inner-city wasteland with a diverse community of feral enterprises.

Isabel then escaped with Simon to the Devon and contact has been intermittent over the 30 intervening years, so, this opportunity to rekindle a working collaboration has been joyous.

Isabel’s talent for carving is complemented by her gentle and generous ability to share and guide as teacher, demystifying without trivialising, she has shown me chainsaw techniques I have previously been too intimidated to attempt.

Added to the significance of Runnymede and the Magna Carta, we share our concerns for the environment and humanity, here expressed in the form of a wrecked small-boat and all that this evokes.

This piece, carved from a gift of nature, a windfall oak, the result of carbon sequestration over centuries, a link to our past and guide for our future.
A representation of watercraft, efficient low carbon transport in step with nature – and it is a bench to sit on by the Thames Path, to climb on, for rest and recreation; respite.

Added to the significance of Runnymede and the Magna Carta, we share our concerns for the environment and humanity, here expressed in the form of a wrecked small-boat and all that this evokes.

This piece, carved from a gift of nature, a windfall oak, the result of carbon sequestration over centuries, a link to our past and guide for our future.

A representation of watercraft, efficient low carbon transport in step with nature – and it is a bench to sit on by the Thames Path, to climb on, for rest and recreation; respite.