Grey Oak Workshop has been many years in the making. It took an unexpected change in lifestyle to give me the time and opportunity to turn a long-held ambition into reality. Looking back, it's something I probably should have done years earlier.

 

I suspect craftsmanship is in my blood. My father, Gerald Paxton, was a serial entrepreneur and an exceptionally talented stained-glass artist. Among his many achievements, he designed the first aluminium greenhouse in the 1960s, introduced stained glass as a hobby to the UK in the 1970’s and ‘80s and, in his seventies, completed an MA in Public Art. Going back to earlier generations, my great-great-grandfather, Sir Joseph Paxton, designed the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851. I have no illusions of matching those achievements, but their creativity, independence and willingness to follow their own path gave me the confidence to follow mine

 

‘Legacy’ and ‘Heritage’ are important concepts to me. As I have grown older, I have increasingly thought about what my legacy might be. When working for a global multinational company, even in a senior role, one has to pursue the corporate vision, and a personal legacy is hard to bring to fruition.  By establishing Grey Oak Workshop, I have the opportunity to decide and shape my future, and that of my business.  For me, legacy is about leaving something behind of which you are proud, and which will enrich the lives of others. This concept also applies to heritage too.  When I built my first timber-frame building beside the duck pond at my home, I fitted a stained glass panel my father had made for me into the wall as a permanent reminder of what a real crafstman’s skill is about.  The beauty of a hand crafted stained glass panel is that it can last for generations.  One of the themes which drives me is to constantly strive to ensure every project I undertake, whether an oak-framed building, or a bespoke garden bench, or a small keepsake box, is made with such skill, care and thoughtfulness that it will become an heirloom possession of the owner, to pass on in their turn.

 

I am also highly conscious of the need to be respectful of the limited timber resources we have, and to access timber from sustainable sources. Thus, for example, in my timber framing work, I try where possible to obtain oak from local trees which have been storm-felled. Over time, I have collected a sizeable stock of raw timber, oak, elm, ash, cherry, yew, coming from locations close to home, which is milled on site, and is air dried until it can be used. It is important to be able to document the provenance of timber wherever possible.  One of the most gratifying things is to be able to ‘repurpose’ a storm-felled length of oak, knowing that it can be expected to provide elegance and strength for future generations.

 

In my work, I find design stimulation and inspiration from the beautiful environment in which I live, on a small holding on top of a hill near Upper Basildon on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border. I am fortunate to enjoy fabulous views, and am surrounded by a host of animals. Being my own boss, for the first time, I am able to focus on producing beautiful things that people want, rather than helping to deliver products shaped by corporate priorities!  I am hesitant to work within pre-conceived design constraints. I am quite content to put machines aside and to build a random pattern chopping block by hand, if it produces a result which appeals. I strive to make differentiation a strength. Working through design and construction challenges is deeply satisfying.  My desire to create a legacy and for my oak leaf ‘brand’ to become recognised means that I cannot sit back and simply mass produce saleable items. I want to work with clients to achieve unique products which satisfy their desire to own something beautiful, bespoke, and an heirloom. Every commission, whether it's an oak-framed building, a piece of furniture or a keepsake box, begins with the same ambition: to create something beautiful, made with integrity, that will outlast me and become part of someone else's family story. If, many years from now, one of my pieces is treasured and handed down to the next generation, then I will feel I have succeeded

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Francis Paxton - Owner