ABOUT

I first designed and made furniture for the Stanton Guildhouse in 1999.

I was selected to do so from a shortlist of British furniture designer makers, assembled by Betty Norbury (a gallery owner and ambassador of the crafts in the UK). Subsequently, over the intervening years, we have created many pieces for this inspiring place.

The first was the Archive Cabinet, designed to accommodate the artefacts of the Guildhouse’s founder and guiding light, Mary Osborn. The centrepiece of the archive is a plate made at the nearby Wychwood Pottery, with the Latin inscription “Laborare est orare” (labour is prayer). Other pieces include shelving and tables.

Mary was driven to create the Guildhouse after she met Mahatma Ghandi and heard his descriptions of ashrams in his native India. Her passion was ignited and she bought the land upon which the house was built, by volunteers and local people, out of reclaimed materials.

The Guildhouse is now available for craft courses and is a centre for discussion, contemplation and holidays, with beautiful accommodation, in a truly lovely location in Worcestershire.

We also created a wonderful seating area in the grounds, which you can see here.

It is a place and an organisation close to my heart and I urge you to discover more here and watch the video below: