A group of our Year 12 Built Environment learners visited Rochester cathedral to learn about the Fenland Black Oak Project.
Before the programme started, learners had some time to wander through the cathedral, which has been a place of Christian worship since AD604, and admire the architectural features and genius loci.
Then they had the unique opportunity to meet the Fenland Black Oak Project leader, Hamish Low, a cabinet maker, who talked the audience through the story of the Table for Nation, from the bog oak discovery in the fields, design process to the manufacturing of the table. Learners gained insight into the tools used for the excavation, constraints and solution finding throughout the process, as well as the technicalities and the importance of collaboration. Hamish Low shared that, ‘Maintaining the full-length integrity of these planks was at the very core of this project.’
"I was surprised by the extent of collaboration between the makers, designers and volunteers on the project," Aniqa shared.
Samples of the untreated material were also on a display, with a piece of uniquely crafted 'river joint' used on the table. More technical details were explained by the designer Mauro Dell Orco, together with manufacturing drawings, followed by demonstration of "drop-leaf" concept of foldable table side or hidden wheels for ease of manipulation (A drop-leaf table is a table that has a fixed section in the centre and a hinged section (leaf) on either side that can be folded down.)
| The Material for this table is bog oak, excavated from the Fenlands in Norfolk. It has a unique provenance dating back 5000 years to when the Fenlands were once a vast forest of magnificent oaks. |
At the end of the talk and demonstration, there was an opportunity for learners to for discuss the ideas they had just explored. Questions from audience ranged from specifics of finishes and treatment (what looked like a varnish was in fact wax) to the use of the table (it can sit 50 people and can be used by a local community variety of occasions).
This trip offered our learners a chance to see and touch this staggering, well-preserved piece of history and learn how this piece of our nation’s heritage has been given a magnificent new legacy
