Our Story

Forwyn is the result of a career spent balancing the scientific and the creative. My background in arboriculture and ecology provided a deep understanding of the forest, but I found that while science explained the tree, it did not allow for the creative execution of the object. This led to the pursuit of fine furniture making, training and working at Rowden Atelier under David Savage to master the discipline of the craft.

Before establishing the workshop at Athelhampton House, I spent years working in and managing large-scale joinery shops for both commercial and residential projects. This evolved into a career as a technical designer where I designed and oversaw the manufacture of joinery for multi-million pound projects, writing the technical specifications for furniture used worldwide. While I mastered the complexity of these operations, they lacked the tangible connection to the material that every craftsman seeks.

Today, that connection is restored. Based in the Kitchen Gardens workshop, walking through the Athelhampton grounds in the early morning provides a grounding start to a day defined by calm, focus and precision. My understanding of British timber is not merely aesthetic; I see the way the tree stood, the stress it endured, and the characteristics of its growth. At Forwyn—a name evoking the spirit of the woodland—I bring this heavy industry experience and global design discipline back to the bench, manufacturing joinery that respects both the history of the material and the requirements of the site.

We reject the modern over-reliance on machinery that strips timber of its character and replaces skill with automation. At Forwyn, the workshop is a place of rigorous discipline; every process is an execution where shortcuts are not permitted. This standard is rooted in professional training at Rowden Atelier, where the technical exactness required for fine furniture and architectural joinery was mastered.

We work exclusively with British timbers, respecting the decades required for the material to mature before it reaches our bench. By refusing to compromise on production, we deliver work to exact specifications that mass manufacture cannot replicate. We view excellence as a constant standard—ensuring the integrity of the timber is preserved through traditional methods and a refusal to settle for the generic.