For the Love of Oak

A rash purchase

As an adult John tried many jobs – working in a bank, as a publican then as a civil engineer and surveyor. He thrived within engineering and construction. Yet he yearned to work for himself (or perhaps knew he was slightly unemployable?) and to be creative and purposeful. Rural housing and vernacular architecture was his passion – yet he felt frustrated by the poor quality and design of housing in the 1960s and 70’s and the impact this was having on his beloved Herefordshire landscape. The feeling that he could potentially achieve something unique and revolutionary – or maybe just a little disruptive – was shaping his view on life. He yearned to create a novel ‘work family’ of similar people, with similar endeavours and to build beautiful homes.

In his early 30’s John became a director of agricultural construction company specialising in steel barns. He was originally employed (accidentally) as a surveyor, when really they needed a quantity surveyor (so he ended up covering both jobs). A site visit to a client near Hay on Wye was to change his life, when he discovered an original 14th Century cruck frame barn on the site of the proposed new dairy shed, just days from demolition.

John knew instantly that the old barn was important, and panic set in. He suggested alternative milking parlour locations but the farmer was steadfast – so John (a risk taker at heart) rashly offered to buy the barn (with money he didn’t yet have) and to move it (with a team he didn’t yet have).

He quickly coerced a few friends to work day and night to dismantle the old frame, piece by piece, peg by peg which they transported to John’s orchard 20 miles away. For a few years it sat in a pile under the apple blossom before John took the plunge to re erect it, enthused by the fact his new brother in law was an excellent carpenter. Mark and John inadvertently began their Border Oak adventure by slaving away on the old barn.

…and a little bit of luck

Once the cruck barn frame was standing in the orchard John, a skilled draughtsman, drew plans to convert the barn into his family home – a cheeky long shot, but worth a try. He submitted his scheme to the District Council and awaited the Planning Officers visit and inevitable struggle.

However the young officer who arrived on site was visibly cock a hoop that Mark and John had saved the barn. He deemed it a frame of National significance, admiring the super human effort taken to save and restore. However the officer deemed it so architecturally important that he felt he simply couldn’t allow it to be spoilt with modern luxuries such as kitchens and bathrooms.

After a long ‘debate’ John and the planner reached a wobbly compromise – John could convert the barn to his family home, but all the required pipes and plumbing would need to be contained within an extension to the side of the barn. This would leave the majestic frame as one large space, but enable John and his young family to live there.

The only condition was that the extension must be made of an authentic green oak framing to match the barn. John pointed out that no one made oak frames anymore and hadn’t for several centuries, but the officer rightly countered that John and Mark clearly now had all the skills and knowledge required to make the new frame themselves.

And so John and Mark decided that they would revive the lost art of green oak framing, which had fallen away more that 200 years before, and pioneer a new way of creating homes – each one a celebration of the vernacular and a commitment to craftsmanship and longevity

And so they did. You can see the new oak extension John designed and built here.

Before long word spread – and other people came looking for the crazy brothers who had revived the lost art of green oak framing – and so Border Oak was born.