View from Clissett Wood - June 26th 2009

Garden & workshop in summer - late June 2009

New handmade knife from John

Sunday, John gave me a knife he made for me overnight, and it's my first knife, so that's pretty special. It's a holly handle, with moulded leather sheath, it's not stainless steel so I've got to look after it he said.

Eddie's Kitchen cabinets and worktop

Clissett Wood 15th Anniversary Party (June 2009)

The beautiful woodland kitchen, where everything revolves around enjoying good food..




Clissett Wood, sometimes the best place in the world for laughing, eating, drinking and making wonderful things!

View from Clissett Wood - June 7th 2009

Simons Bridge - Spring 2009

Welsh Stick Chair Making - May 2009

Ro, Matt, Me (Liz), Jonathan, Richard making Welsh Stick chairs and freeform chairs on a 5 day workshop at Clissett Wood with Gudrun Leitz.


Ro with her new "wildform chair".


Ro's chair and my little chair (it's an apprentice piece ...and here it is finished and oiled....Ahhh



I also made some turned hair pins - as I've always got my hair up out of the way of the fire!

My willow sculpture Clissett Wood Spring 2009

April 2009 - Shingling party at Clissett Wood

Matt, Neil, Simon and Grenvil putting the final shingles on the new roof for a woodland hut.

Clissett Wood Course - Aug 2008

Jenna is a BHMAT apprentice learning coppice crafts and came to Clissett Woods to learn about making furniture.

Thomas discusses his chair



Mark adding the rockers to his ash chair with bark seat


Will puts the final touches to his oak bench with padels, and our evenings entertainment playing with fire - more images here

Ash Ladder Back

Made in August 2008, my first ash ladder back with rush seat in progress.

Wood Wool Sculptures

Exploring shapes and textures occuring in nature.
(Ash wood, Jacobs wool felt)

A series of fire pictures from the woods

click here

First Chair by Liz - June 2008

Greenwood chair - oak seat, cherry side uprights, hazel centre panel ,
sweet chestnut top rail, Ash legs.

Greenwood bench in ash and beech

Oak Gate Hurdle

Made on the BHMAT September 2007 course in Cumbria with Owen Jones (Swill basket maker)

Oak stool from a log

Oak Stool made in September 2007

Shave Horse

Shave Horse built June 2007 (with Louis the cat)

The Pole Lathe

The Pole Lathe built in April 2007

3 years of hedgelaying at Kennelwood, Nantwich

Late November 2004 saw the beginning of my work at Kennelwood, which runs alongside the Nantwich Road near Combermere, North Shropshire/ South Cheshire.



Kennelwood is an organic site, growing and selling hay from their wildflower meadows. Richard Smith the owner of Kennelwood, asked me to start laying his 'new' 8 year old hedges, planted between 1995 and 1997. Approximately 2 miles of hedgerows surrounding the meadows were planted in wide double rows, 1 meter apart, using 18 species of native broadleaves and shrubs, a massive 26,000 hedging plants and trees in total. (Plant list at end of article.) The ideal habitat for all sorts of wildlife has been carefully developed along with some assistance from the Stewardship Scheme.



Hedgelaying in blocks of between 80 to 200 yards, and leaving the same length in between each block till the following year, allowed wildlife to take some shelter nearby, and stagger the regeneration work around the site.


Having done many Conservation Volunteer Holidays with the BTCV, and leading groups on residential hedgelaying weeks, I was up for the task, but still, nevertheless, a little daunted at the size of the job ahead. The unusual meter width gap between the two rows meant having to adapt the traditional West Midlands style or Bullock hedge into a double-sided A-shaped Midlands style, which seems to keep it's shape well, looks great from both sides, and still forms a rigid stock proof barrier.


The winter grazing sheep are not encouraged to nibble the hedge, however tasty it may be - post and rail fences are currently being put up to act as a wildlife corridor, and allow a wider variety of wild flowers to grow in the cover of the hedge.


This year will be the third year of hedgelaying at Kennelwood, and will mean all 1 mile of the new hedgerows will have been laid by February 2007. An acheivement which I am really proud of and proud to be part of such an ambitious scheme.


Species of Native Broadleaves and shrubs planted in new hedges at Kennelwood 1995/97.
Acer Campestre
Carpinus Betulus
Cornus Sanguinea
Corylus Avellana
* Crataegus Monogyna
Euonymus Europaeus
Malus Sylvestris
Prunus Avium
Prunus Cerasifera
Prunus Padus
* Prunus Spinosa
Rhamnus Frangula
Rosa Canina
Rosa Rugosa
Viburnum Lantana
Viburnum Opulus
Ilex Aquifolium
Lonicera Periclymenum
* 60% of planting