Medieval Carpentry Workshop - Centring The Past 2025

 A bit of a photo dump from the weekend before last. There's some great ones in here!

The weekend was run by Adam Lynch and Pete Eyles, recreating some formwork for medieval vaults using traditional techniques. I'm really kicking myself that I didn't go for the whole week. 

Adam has been a good friend over the years and we've frequently spoken to each other about our trade and he's even lent me a few tools when I've been experimenting with hewing and cleaving timbers. 

I was so pleased when he asked me to come and teach some carving to the people on the course. 

What made it even more special was taking my son with me (the girls had too much homework unfortunately - secondary school is pretty unforgiving in that way).  

Every time I looked up my son was with someone showing him something and how to do it. They let him try everything and I felt completely at ease the whole time. 

Seeing his confidence grow as he swung an axe was great. 

Here he is with Adam before we set the pit saw up. 

There was a moment when we went on the pit saw together and I looked around at the people there. We were a spread of ages, Adam and me in our 40s, a few a bit older, a couple in their 60s and then some in the 30s and 20s. I'm not sure I've seen that many people work together with such a spread of ages, all the same trade (or were for that week if they weren't normally). And my boy with them all. It felt right, like it would have been. 

Years ago he would have been coming with me to work, he would have joined my gang, which at my age I'd have good standing in. I'm sure he would have been taken under the wing of others there, looked after, teased, trained, nurtured. He'd have been my apprentice, but I'm sure he would have been shared when younger, doing all the little jobs, tending the fire, picking up the chips. 

You could see something inside him had been switched on when we were travelling home. He'd made friends, without me pushing him, he'd learnt things he could tell me, he had a taste of something. 

He said at one point on the drive back, "I think it's a mix of maths and art," and honestly I thought that was a lovely way for him to sum it up. I loved that he could see a small part of my trade in a very different light, but also what it could be. I know my trade isn't often like this, in fact this is the first time it's been like this for me where I haven't been on my own just messing around. 

Adam has told me that there will be many more projects like this coming up and I'm more than keen to get involved. It has taken me form the (self) isolation of my workshop, to be surrounded by people passionate about their trade and the history of it.

Watch this space, I hope there's a lot more to come.