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As many of you know, Carpenter Oak & Woodland Co. Ltd. is a large English timber framing company headed by Bill Keir, an active supporter of the Guild and frequent attendee and speaker at Guild conferences. Bill and other members of CO&W participated in the NOVA building of the trebuchets project, and more notably, restored the magnificent hammerbeam roof at Scotland's Stirling Castle. On a recent detour to London on our way to Egypt in March 2000, we were treated to a tour of the facilities. Our tale begins:

Off to London's Paddington Station we go (sounds like the opening of a children's story), but first we must decipher the London underground pricing system. We do successfully buy a ticket from Russell Square, and our arrival at Paddington is in time for the 9:15 a.m. trip to Chippenham, as planned. The kindly ticket agent suggests a relaxing cup of coffee and the 9:45 a.m. train instead, explaining we'll save 60 pounds (about $100). No need to ask twice. Quick call to Bill to announce our change in plans, and we sip a delicious cup from the Starbucks-equivalent chain of coffee shops we spot all around London. England is not just for tea anymore.

The train is crowded, but we find seats together for the 110-mile hour-long trip. Except for the ubiquitous cell phone calls that all begin, "Hi. I'm on the train," we enjoy watching the bucolic country scenes roll by. At Chippenham, Bill greets us with a Land-Rover Model 110 Defender, County Station Wagon, which he describes as "one of the roughest riding and most uncomfortable vehicles" he's ever owned. To triple his pleasure, he has three of them. ("One can never have too many Land-Rovers," says Bill).

This one is a diesel, and drowns out Bill's conversation. We head for Bill's home: Wheelwright Cottage in the village of Kington St. Michael, through the winding streets crowded with centuries-old stone buildings that exude charm. His house is undergoing some serious demolition and bears a resemblance to Grozney after the bombing. Surrounded by rubble, several members of the CO&W team, including trebuchet veterans Roger and Richard ("the Chechens," Bill calls them), prepare some oak framing members for the new timber frame addition. Bill's house can only be described as quaint and charming in an authentic country English way. (Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart.) A quick tour of the interior: Brian ducks at each doorway and barely clears the kitchen ceiling; he mercifully escapes without injury.

Our whirlwind tour next heads to CO&W world headquarters. Nestled seemingly in the middle of a cornfield, down miles of narrow winding one-lane roads, the yard might be called inaccessible (we see the justification for the Rovers). At each precarious hairpin turn, Bill beeps the horn to warn oncoming vehicles. He points to a spot where a previous Land-Rover met its demise (fortunately, no one was hurt. "Never felt comfortable driving such a posh truck anyway," says Bill.).

Where Pegs Really Come From
The Carpenter, Oak compound is a series of one-story World War II-era shelters with authentic moss and mud. The administrative offices are surprisingly spacious and filled with designers, job estimators, and others all working diligently on future CO&W projects. In another building, with the aroma of oak shavings on the ground, we watch Barney, Joe, Ant, Goose, Trotter, Stick-boy, and Ray making oak plaster lath using only hand tools, such as a froe, and break. They also draw knife pegs on a shaving horse. In another technique, Barney pounds an oak square, and drives it through a steel die to produce a perfectly doweled straight grained oak peg. "This," explains Bill, "is where pegs really come from!"

Another building houses a layout and cutting area with authentic concrete trusses. We also view the timber museum, with frame elements dating back hundreds of years. There is a 15th century stairway awaiting repairs that CO&W members dismantled, with a carved figure of a naked woman with a beard.

A tasty lunch caps our visit with lukewarm local ale, chips, fried plaice, and peas at the Jolly Huntsman, a wonderfully warm and welcoming pub whose patrons know Bill well.

When the English spotting tour gets organized this fall, a stop at Carpenter, Oak & Woodland is a must. -- Janice Wormington