The Team
All our carpenters are trained in-house in the skills and knowledge of traditional scribe carpentry, the use of hand tools and the constructional theory of traditional oak frame building, including a wide repertoire of joints and forms. Our toolkits contain a variety of specialist tools largely unchanged for hundreds of years. These are complimented with electric drills, chain morticers and circular saws. Much of the work is still finished entirely with hand tools, using entirely traditional techniques.
In an industry where individual carpenters are part of a highly mobile workforce, our company owes much of its success to holding onto its skilled carpenters over a comparatively long period. In an industry with a notoriously peripatetic work-pool, 50% of our workforce has been with us for over 6 years.
With continued training and investment in our employees and our premises, we aim to ensure that we continue to provide a stimulating and friendly working environment.
We have always offered our workforce the maximum degree of flexibility in their working hours to allow them to juggle the sometimes conflicting demands of their home lives and outside interests, with their working commitments. In this flexible working atmosphere, our carpenters are, in turn, prepared to work at weekends and away from home when our schedule demands it.
In addition to our specialist craft training, each member of the team is given health and safety training on a wide variety of topics, and special skills training in the use of plant, machinery, access, first aid etc. depending upon the particular route they want to follow within the company.
We were the first company in the country to achieve qualifications in the new oak framing NVQ “Structural Post & Beam Carpentry. All our workforce is offered this opportunity that has been developed by the industry accreditation body - the carpenters’ fellowship.
Work continues on developing apprenticeship routes and further qualifications for career development.
Above-all: we are serious about working as a team with the fullest possible regard to the well-being and safety of our fellow workers. This ethos of mutual reliance and good communication underpins our safe working practice.
In addition to our regular crew, we are also able to take on young people on work experience from local schools. Under 18s can get a feel of a mature and supportive work environment and can make a contribution to the creative work whilst learning skills which may be both physically and mentally challenging.