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News Release from: British Woodworking Federation | Subject: Three joinery contracts
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 June 2005
Three joinery contracts demonstrate
skills
Three recent contracts carried out by a member of the British Woodworking Federation aptly illustrate how both traditional and modern joinery skills flourish alongside each other in the industry.
Three recent contracts carried out by a member of the British Woodworking Federation aptly illustrate how both traditional and modern joinery skills flourish alongside each other in the industry Bristol-based Clifton Joinery has recently designed, built and hung a pair of massive timber entrance gates at Blaise Castle Estate in nearby Henbury Village, using traditional through and haunched mortise and tenons, all fully ledged and braced
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 14 Nov 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The castle is, in fact, a summer house dating back to the 17th Century, in what is now a public park.
The park has benefited from recent substantial Heritage Lottery Funding for extensive renovations, of which the Henbury Gates are just a part.
The park itself has evidence of an Iron Age Hill Fort and Romano-British remains.
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Project Manager on the Blaise Castle Estate, Colm O'Kelly approached Clifton Joinery on the basis of their reputation for "being the best in Bristol" and his decision proved to be the right one.
"The gates are wonderful," he said.
"Absolutely the right style, arched and very robust, they have even survived a car hitting them after they were hung." Clifton Joinery also commissioned and supervised the design and fabrication of the massive iron hinges and other ironmongery needed and the company project managed the fabrication and laying of inset curved steel tracking for the supporting rollers fitted to the bottom of the gates.
The excellent workmanship displayed by Clifton's craftsmen has led to further work by way of the traditional design and building of a number of doors and gates into the kitchen garden, the rose garden and the Nash-designed dairy garden.
In contrast, at Westbury-on-Trym, architect Robert Guy and his wife, Ruth, have been progressively working on their Grade II listed Regency property.
The house was built by a joiner back in 1824, so it is appropriate that a firm of joiners with skills to match has been working on the project for the past seven years.
Stephen Newton, Managing Director of Clifton Joinery, knows this type of property well as his company often works on similar projects in the Bristol and Bath area with its wealth of Georgian and Regency properties.
Consequently, he and his employees were able to recreate an ornate entrance door and surround and refurbish and glaze numerous box-sash windows, with box seating below, using pressure treated softwood cut and shaped by hand using traditional joinery methods.
Where required, the glazing matches the original glazing bars and uses Heritage Glass which was sourced by Clifton Joinery and is made in the same way as it was over 200 years ago.
Clifton also renewed shutters and skirtings and made an entirely new six-panel internal door in the existing style.
As proof of their ability to work on modern installations, the company also completely re-installed a large Smallbone kitchen in an Edwardian extension.
The original extension needed a new floor that meant removing the entire kitchen before work on replacing the floor could be carried out.
Clifton's skills have also contributed to a successful multi-million pound development by St John's Hospital.
One of the country's oldest charities, dating back to 1174, St John's has built a new almshouse for 62 older people on the outskirts of Bath.
As part of this prestigious and national award winning project, where the use of quality natural and traditional materials was a priority, Clifton Joinery has built a pergola in green oak in the courtyard.
The almshouse was carefully designed to complement the design of neighbouring properties whilst at the same time be innovative and environmentally friendly.
The company worked closely with St John's and their professional team together with the glaziers throughout the project.
The pergola, which completes a traditional quadrangle in a modern setting, was designed to incorporate a series of stainless steel connectors so that the pergola could support a glazed walkway, but also used jointing which reflected the Edwardian period of neighbouring properties.
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