At home with wood

Wood is in my blood so to speak; let me explain...

I come from a long line of Buckinghamshire farming folk and the leafy lanes and beech woods in that county have for centuries molded each and every one of us. If they weren't working the land then several of my ancestors would have been working with wood. Some of them would have set up home amongst the trees in little wooden shacks like this one.

Everything was done by hand in those far off days and work continued from dawn until dusk.

Branches were cut from trees and stripped of their bark and as a result mountains of wood chips lay everywhere.

The men who worked in this way were known as bodgers and their pole lathes would have been spinning and whirring all day long. After many hours of turning, shaping and piecing together the results of their labours would have been Windsor chairs not unlike like this one. What amazing craftsmanship.

I treasure several old Windsor chairs that were made by my great uncle as a wedding gift for my grandparents but for this post I have used this miniature version which is an exact replica of rather splendid chairs that were made with arms. (Teddy is 7 inches tall ).

I now live in the Lake District which is many miles from my home amid the beech woods of Buckinghamshire but for centuries bodgers would have been busy working in the Lakeland woods also. They didn't make chairs but turned wooden bobbins and their livelihoods relied entirely on the success of the neighbouring Lancashire cotton mills. Bobbins were required in their millions and the process was soon mechanised. Stott Park Bobbin Mill is the last remaining Victorian mill with its machinery still in working order. It is open to visitors and demonstrations take place each day.

Vintage bobbins that were once used in cotton mills are now being made into decorative items for the tourist industry. Visitors to this area love to take home little 'bobbin built' keepsakes like this little model of a steam traction engine (my Mum couldn't resist this when she saw it!)

The wooden objects on display around my home come in all shapes, sizes and colours. For this post I have chosen a few turned pieces to show you.  My granny used the items above in her farm kitchen. The butter mold in the centre has a very elaborate crest.

I'd love to know its origin.

This Victorian inkwell and drinking vessel are turned from one of the heaviest wood of all known as lignum vitae

How fortunate I am to have met and married a sweet man who loves wood as much as I do. He occasionally buys me little wooden pieces like these. The plate is oak, the cup and saucer ash and the tea canister and scoop are made from sycamore. I love them all.

So you see, wood is in my blood... My dad taught woodwork in his school and was a master cabinet maker. From an early age I was taught not only how to recognise different trees but how to recognise different woods also. And so I'll end this post with a little poem by H E Palmer. The message, I think, is a very poignant one.

Woodworker's Ballad 

All that is molded of iron
Has lent to destruction and blood;
But the things that are honour’d of Zion
Are most of them made from wood.

Stone can be chisell’d to Beauty,
And iron shines bright for Defence;
But when Mother Earth ponder’d her duty
She brought forth the forest, from whence

Come tables, and chairs, and crosses,
Little things that a hot fire warps,
Old ships that the blue wave tosses,
And fiddles for music, and harps;

Oak boards where the carved ferns mingle,
Monks’ shrines in the wilderness,
Snug little huts in the dingle,
All things that the sad poets bless.

King Arthur had a wood table;
And Our Lord blessed wood; for, you see,
He was born in a wooden stable,
And He died on a wooden tree;

And He sailed in a wooden vessel
On the waters of Galilee,
And He work’d at a wooden trestle
At His wonderful carpentry.

Oh, all that is molded of iron
Has lent to destruction and blood;
But the things that are honour’d of Zion
Are most of them made from wood.

Herbert Edward Palmer (1880 - 1961)

Comments

[Shelley]

This is a very interesting post,your wood pieces are beautiful.I also enjoyed the post about the little animals and their stories...they are so sweet..cute collection you have!

Blessings,Shelley

[Paula]

Dearest Eli,

I always enjoy your delightful and informative posts!!!! The old photos are wonderful and the history you shared is so rich and interesting! I always learn so much from you! I loved the photos of all the beautiful wood things you treasure. I especially love the items your granny used in her farm kitchen. I know how special those must be to you, as are the lovely items your sweet husband has given to you.

I think it is wonderful your dad taught woodwork and was a master cabinet maker. I know he was a very gifted, skilled, and talented man. I so admire things made by hand.

It is such a blessing that you were taught how to recognize different trees and different woods!

I loved the beautiful (and poignant) poem you shared!!!! I have never read that before and I was so very touched by it. Thank you so much for sharing! Love, Paula

P.S. Thank you for your sweet comment about my sewing room! In our previous home my sewing area was in our bedroom, so it is a real blessing to have a whole room to sew in! I love your idea for the old machine... keeping it threaded in a color you use occasionally, that is a good idea. Yes, it does sew very neat stitches.

Oh Eli, how very wonderful that you have a desk like mine that was given to your mum by an American Air Force family, and the friendship you all shared is especially wonderful! We live right next door to Texas, about an hour's drive and you cross the state line! Back to the desk, yes, I do believe it is from the 50's. We found it in an junk shop and my husband bought it for me, and cleaned it up. It is in perfect condition and solid wood! My husband could not believe how heavy it was!!!

[Redwood House]

Hi Eli, what lovely wooden objects, my Mr. would get on with yours he also loves wood in general but he doesn't appear to enjoy polishing it!!The little train is delightful as is all the pieces I love the egg cup. Turned wood feels so nice in the hand if I see a piece while out and about I have just got to stroke it, I also love china but never feel the need to stroke that. Wood has the 'touchy feely factor' so has got to be a winner.
Hope you are having this wonderful sunshine too...
Jan

[clarice]

You are so blessed Eli, to live in such a beautiful rich area. So many tresures xoxox Clarice

[Cathy Santarsiero]

I'll bet you can send a photo of the butter mold to Country Living magazine. Do you get that in the UK? They do a regular column appraising antique and vintage finds and maybe they can research the origins.