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Workshop & 
Home Combined 
a low impact option

Charles Thomson has spent the last twenty years renovating a derelict 18th Century oak-framed barn near Mayfield in East Sussex whilst establishing himself as a designer and maker of fine contemporary furniture in local English hardwoods.  By successfully merging family-home, workshop and showroom outlet, Charles enjoys a working life without the expense and hassle of commuting, whilst minimising the environmental impact of his work. 


The green oak timber framed extension built in 
1998 to rehouse Charles Thomson's furniture-
making workshop
Charles sources all of his timber locally by word of mouth and selects most of it standing in the forest, arranging the felling, extraction and processing himself. Consequently, Charles has built up a large stock of selected timbers sawn to his specifications without having to rely on the vagaries of timber delivery. Plus, the quality of his furniture is enhanced by his intimate knowledge of the origins of each piece of timber used.                       

Over the twenty years at Five Ashes Charles has gradually built up the full range of workshop machinery – planer thicknessers, bandsaws, lathe, spindle moulder, cross-cut saw, pillar drills, morticer. His machine shop includes a small kiln, ingeniously installed above his pad sander, making good use of the limited space. 
Working mostly in ash, oak and cherry, and occasionally hornbeam and walnut, Charles has developed a range of products based around his ‘Cluster Leg’ design.  He splits and steam bends thin lengths of timber to achieve elegant curves.  As the name suggests, this technique was originally used for table and chair legs, and has since been incorporated into coat stands, lighting systems, plant holders and more recently into chair backs, as shown in some of his latest designs to the right.  

By supplying his own timber whilst living and working at the same location, the overall embedded energy within Charles’ products and the environmental impact of his work is significantly reduced.  Charles retains a direct connection to the original trees, providing inspiration for his designs and offering the client a product with an individual story. 
Latest designs with unique split and bent timbers used f
or both chair legs and backs

Charles Thomson, Recreating Trees, Almond Barn, Five Ashes, Mayfield, East Sussex, TN20 6HX, Tel/Fax: 01825 830691, Email: almondbarn@hotmail.com, Website: www.charlesthomson.co.uk
 

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