Ruaraidh Stewart, from Aberdeenshire, is a former soldier with the Black Watch (3 Scots), and saw service in Afghanistan. A keen snowboarder, he worked at the Glenshee ski centre, before joining the Army. He then had stints as a restaurateur, gamekeeper and in gym equipment installation, before realising that he’d much prefer to work with …
Brian London, originally from North Carolina, underlines how fine woodworking is a skill that can be learned at any age, whether as a first or second career or in retirement. Brian, who now lives near Niort in France, had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement for the US government. A self-confessed “army brat,” …
The Chippendale school has students of all ages and backgrounds, because a desire to learn fine woodworking knows no boundaries. But we’re always especially delighted to welcome young students who have come straight from school. All too often, young people don’t consider woodworking as a career because it’s not an option that careers guidance teachers …
We recently welcomed to the school one of the UK’s leading writers in furniture design and making. While newspaper and TV journalists do regularly come to the school, it’s not often that we see a specialist writer who is himself a woodworking expert. Derek Jones, editor of Furniture and Cabinetmaking, a GMC Publications title, was …
We’re a friendly bunch at the Chippendale school and always welcome visitors – although it’s best to phone in advance. We’re proud of the skills we teach and we’re always proud to show off those skills being learned by our students. That’s why we applied for, and were awarded, 3* visitor status by Visit Scotland, …
June 5th next year will mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Chippendale, the great 18th century furniture designer. He has been an inspiration for furniture designers worldwide. Not only did he design fantastic furniture, but he was the absolute first to embrace modern ideas on marketing and publicity. “It’s no coincidence that, …
