Talking to Kelly...

You don't have a Fen accent, where in the UK do you come from?
I was born in Canada in 1958. I have lived in the UK most of my life but have spent several years in Southern Africa, The United States and Bulgaria.

Have you worked in wood most of your life?
I found the pleasure of creating in wood only in the last 15 years, learning oak timber framing skills as I converted a 16th century barn to 3 houses, and most recently designed and built a green oak and straw hexagonal house here in Ely, Cambridgeshire. It was filmed by Channel 4s Grand Designs up to April 07. In between time I have made opportunity to make furniture, tables, chairs, bookshelves and sculpture with big lumps of oak, bogwood and even palm tree roots.

What was it like having a film crew following you around while you were Building?
Sometimes annoying when you have to do the same thing again and again while the camera re-positions itself, but all in all it was a really enjoyable chapter and I made some good friends. I always felt Kevin McCloud enjoyed his visits too, always poking in cheeky comments.

Why wood?
Wood is a living thing with unique character in every piece. In what I produce I prefer not to remove "character" elements lest we forget it was once a tree.

Any new projects on the horizon?
There is a new arrival in the yard; a 3 ton pile of oak, yew and pine that has been pulled out of the ground having been buried for 3 to 6,000 years! Some of them even show signs of being felled by axe! They are dark brown to black bog trees, and I'm quite excited about where I can go with them. They are definitely of furniture quality, but it would be a shame if I didn't in some way give them proper respect considering their special character and age, so I'm working with my wife Masako on some designs of Zen gardens, incorporating them into the gardens in the role weathered stone usually has.

Past projects gallery

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