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Heckfield Place
Manor house hotel – butlers’ trays, luggage racks, lectern, tiffins, trolleys, retail cabinet & reception cabinet
CLIENT – Commercial
Designers – bwt
Metalwork – Deller McClafferty
Leatherwork – Wolfram Lohr
Photography – Glasshopper
Heckfield Place is a multi-award winning grade II-listed country-house hotel set in 400 acres of parkland. Special Branch were commissioned to develop, prototype and make 110 unique pieces of furniture and speciality wooden items.
Ben Thompson and his team actively encouraged a collaborative approach between craftsman and designer. Inspiration started with the trees, gardens and surrounding parkland, along with beautiful natural materials and a pared back aesthetic.
Retail Sales Unit
A retail cabinet designed for the Bothy Spa. Made from limed oak, unlacquered brass with natural veg tanned leather lined display drawer and Carl Aubock handles.
Tiffins
This original wooden tiffin was conceived as a unique room service experience for hotel guests.
Two plates of food are transported in the lower baskets while the top carries cutlery, napkins and condiments. When served, each of the baskets are removed revealing their equally well-crafted contents. The concept was painstakingly developed by Special Branch in collaboration with bwt through a series of sketches, CAD drawings, material research and sampling. The full-size prototype was rigorously road tested by the team at Heckfield Place, and their feedback further influenced the design before a production run of ten was made by our team of craftsman.
The oak tiffins are a playful hybrid of traditional and contemporary woodworking methods. A unique mix of steam-bent carrier frame parts, bespoke handmade plywood which was then CNC cut to shape, and Oak ‘swill’ weave from Cumbrian woodland.
The swill is prepared from coppiced oak which is cut green and immediately boiled in a trough and then soaked in a running stream. It’s split and then skilfully bashed until the spring and summer growth separate. The harder, slower growing winter growth is then peeled off.
Owen Jones, who supplied the oak weave material for the tiffins, was taught to make traditional swill baskets by one of the last surviving ‘Swillers’ over 30 years ago. There are no other makers left from that era, so Owen is now the single link between then and now, keeping this regional tradition alive. Fortunately, he’s been passing on his knowledge of this local skill, which has remained largely unchanged for centuries and has taught many people – so it is set to live on.
Once the material was produced and sent to us, the tiffin baskets were woven by our in-house team of makers.
Lectern
Made from solid and veneered European fumed oak with a hand rubbed oil finish, featuring an octagonal central pillar with matching handmade solid unlacquered polished brass details.
Butler’s Tray
Twenty-one meticulously detailed butler’s tray sets specially developed for hotel room service. A tray of food is transported from kitchen to guest room with base frame placed over the butler’s shoulder.
The multi-material design in European oak, unlacquered brass and natural veg tanned leather evolved through a collaborative process between commissioning designers bwt and Special Branch Furniture.
A pared back aesthetic, functionality and craftsmanship all provided focus for each stage of the design, through to final prototyping and testing. Once approved, the production run of this elegant, lightweight yet sturdy piece was made with the complete confidence of all parties involved.
Special detailing includes hand cut dovetails and leather-to-wood connections which are threaded through slot mortices, then secured with brass dowels. Natural materials are used throughout including a subtle hand rubbed matt oil finish.
Luggage Rack
Twenty-one luggage racks made from European oak, unlacquered brass and natural veg tanned leather.
