Celebration of wood at East Dean
Peter West has the scent of sawdust in his pores, his trade engrained in him as knots in timber.
Working with wood has been in his family for centuries - and as a lad, growing up amid the chopping and sawing at the family business at East Dean, there was nothing else he thought of doing.
The West family can trace their roots in the village back to the 17th century and they have been actively working with timber since 1809 producing rustic implements such as bean sticks, sheep hurdles and thatching spars.
And this year they are marking this 200 year milestone with a rural fair celebrating all things wood.
West's Wood Fair, on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, in the fields behind their workshops and showroom in Newhouse Lane - marked out by a characterful totem pole made by Peter some years ago - will feature a wealth of country craft talent.
As well as displays and demonstrations of pole lathe turning, hand and chainsaw carving, hurdlemaking, firework processing, longbow making, Windsor chair making and veneering, there will be garden art and ornaments, timber sawing, timber hauling by horses from the nearby Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton, tools, a steam-powered rack bench, mountain boarding trials and a tipis display.
A charcoal burner will provide a barbeque on which there will be organic Goodwood burgers as well as a hog roast.
"If you are interested in wood at all, this is for you," enthuses Peter.
Two celebratory brews have even been created for the event - the Anniversary Ale and The Woodturner's Ruin which Peter says are a 'good drop'.
Peter is a woodturner himself, leaving school at the age of 16 and learning the art with the help of his brother, and father Leslie.
Leslie had been sent to Lancing as a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship for the princely sum of 50 in 1931 by his father Henry, Peter's grandfather.
Now Peter concentrates on the woodturning while his brother Gilbert is the carpenter and joiner, and nephew Matthew their award-winning cabinetmaker.
So, while the family of two centuries ago were turning out simple country essentials, the Wests are now taking commissions for often high-end pieces of bespoke furniture.
They can turn their hand to anything that shows off the timeless quality of wood - from solid oak tables to beautifully-turned bowls and antique-style bureaus of intricately-worked walnut.
And Peter explains the appeal: "People often say the wood is so tactile and people who come into the showroom say ' I have just got to touch it'."
It is mainly commission-based work - although plenty of people come through the showrooms admiring their craftsmanship - and these can range from a request for a 15,000 item to a 3 door knob.
Oak, American walnut, ash, cherry, maple and sycamore are some of the more popular timbers used - local where possible, from places such as the Cowdray and Goodwood estates - but also less common woods including bird's eye maple are selected for unusual pieces such as a pair of Art Deco cupboards just produced for a customer for around the 3,500 mark for the two.
Says Peter: "We go right across the board and we are often the place where people come when they realise they just can't find it anywhere else. There is nothing standard here."
West's Wood Fair, West's of East Dean, New Barn, Newhouse Lane, East Dean, June 20 and 21, 10am to 5pm, admission 3, tel 01243 811354.
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
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