Our Miraculous Pew Story

About a year ago, we had great fun going around the wood reclamation yard (The Bristol Wood Recycling Project) and collected a number of amazing pieces of wood and some complete furniture including the tops for our counter and folding table. I would thoroughly recommend this as a day out, especially, but not exclusively, if you're looking for wood.

Anyway, during this one trip we found the back of an old church pew, and bought it to become the back of a bench for cafe seating. It remained untouched for nearly a year until...

About three weeks ago a friend of @thewell, Barry Lewis (type in Barry Lewis sculpture into google, to check out some amazing up-cycling!) said he was interesting in building our bench for us, he didn't know that the piece of wood we had already found was a pew back.

When he had seen it he told us how randomly that week he had collected bits of old pew from a church being dismantled nearby. This is unusual because Barry usually deals in scrap metal, not wood. So the bench Barry has made for us is entirely pew, and looks amazing.

Within two days Barry had completed it for us, including a seat with hinges for storage beneath, thank you Barry. Miracle part two: it fits exactly in the space provided. The "wings" of the bench slot either side  of the wall that juts out, with just enough room for the necessary pipe to fit.

It comfortably seats 7, and with the scatter cushions we have made will even more comfortably seat 7!