Sue and Andy Malleson needed a bit more seating in their wood, so took themselves off on a bentwood chair-making courses at Hanwell Wine Estate with John Hollins.  His courses are incredibly popular and you’ll need to book several months in advance to secure a place. John is a very talented tutor and guides a small groups step-by-step to make their own beautiful bentwood chairs from green hazel

Sue said, ‘Our two- day chair-making course proved to be a lot harder work than I’d imagined. We chose our own materials from hazel bundles provided by our tutor and we had to cut them to size and nail them in place. Working with green wood sounded much easier than it actually was. But the hard work and aches were certainly worth it. The chairs now grace our woodland and are surprisingly comfortable.’
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