Meet the Traditonal Oak Carpentry team - Southern Yard
Rick Lewis
Rick started life as an everyday site carpenter but became disillusioned with the industry and nearly quit to study medieval art history. By chance a local contractor sent him to repair a Suffolk church and he has been studying Medieval architecture instead ever since! Gaining knowledge from obscure books, attending lectures and talking to other framers but most of all by closely observing the historic framing of our region. Having repaired over 100 timber framed buildings and visited many more in his spare time Rick has had a rare insight into vernacular carpentry. The future of Traditional Oak Carpentry is in safe hands with Rick's son Henry already showing an interest in the tools of the trade.
Marc Lowe
Marc started as Rick's apprentice in 1996, having won apprentice of the year for two years running whilst at Suffolk College he has worked extremely hard at honing his craft skills and has become Rick's right hand man. Having come to framing straight from school, Marc brings no pre-concieved ideas and thus is always coming up with different ways of approaching his work. A keen footballer, Marc currently plays for Leiston F.C. In 2002 he took a 12 month sabbatical and travelled much of the world, now his travelling days are on hold as he and his fiance are facing the trials of getting onto the property ladder!
Chris Butcher
Chris came to us in 2002 and despite his calm manner he has a real enthusiasm for his craft. Now fully qualified he regularly cuts frames on his own and has succumbed to that framer trait of buying lots of strange tools! Being a rural lad he is passionate about the countryside, he is a keen motor sport enthusiast as well as a mean shot with a twelve bore!
