![Bend it like Beckham](https://cdn.magzter.com/1387284093/1718713852/articles/GMtGFFxC71718786461992/BEND-IT-LIKE-BECKHAM.jpg)
IN a larch-boarded studio warmed by burning sawdust, a specialist in cutting-edge medical technology is whittling away at a piece of walnut with a small hook knife. The retired NHS professional dreams of making a writing desk, but, for now, he's set on carving wooden spoons and has enrolled on a two-day workshop with visiting tutor Louise Forbes.
It's the weekend and many full-time students have decamped to Northumberland for a murder-mystery house party, but there's still a buzz of activity at the Chippendale International School of Furniture. As Rob from Ottawa in Canada-ex-military, carpenter, arborealist-Eileen, a local teacher, and Pippa, an Edinburgh-based influencer, chip away at their spoons, a few students on the intensive Professional Course are putting in some quiet hours in the main workshop. The atmosphere, despite the intermittent screech of a bandsaw, is surprisingly therapeutic. Projects in progress furnish orderly workbenches: a latticed coffee table, a steam-bent toboggan, an oak settle with inlaid copper leaves.
As his dog snoozes beside his tool trolley, Barney Hagger absorbs himself in the new carcass he's making for a 1967 HMV radiogram he inherited from his grandfather. The carpenter from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire plans to set up as an independent designer maker and is here to acquire the experience and professional qualification. He credits his girlfriend for supporting him financially and keeping their house going as he lives in a caravan beside the school. 'Every morning, I walk through the woods, take off my wellies and step into the studio. It's the coolest place,' he enthuses. 'Everybody's supercreative and we all engage with each other and share banter and terminology.'
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 19, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 19, 2024-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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![Full steam ahead](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/_1mDoVc331718787652188/FULL-STEAM-AHEAD.jpg)
Full steam ahead
The railway may have started its artistic life as a fire-breathing monster that devoured the countryside, but it soon became an emblem of advancing modernity, a cherished memento of the past and even, in the case of one station, the centre of the universe
![Stars in the East](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/L4ce-EqXu1718786942099/STARS-IN-THE-EAST.jpg)
Stars in the East
Continuing from last week, further East Anglian properties include a moat beloved by wildlife, a Georgian hunting lodge on the site of a Civil War battlefield and a well-restored manor with a Tudor-hall wedding venue
!['The oldest Old Thing in England'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/7ptf95Wvq1718788623883/THE-OLDEST-OLD-THING-IN-ENGLAND.jpg)
'The oldest Old Thing in England'
Shakespeare was by no means the first to portray the mischievous Puck, a sprite of ancient lineage, with his ass's head, discovers Ian Morton
![Coward on a mission](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/1gHkiFcfT1718788356039/COWARD-ON-A-MISSION.jpg)
Coward on a mission
A revival of Noël Coward's final work reminds one of the emotional depth behind the laughs
![Having the last laugh](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/jVNG7HoEU1718788077620/HAVING-THE-LAST-LAUGH.jpg)
Having the last laugh
Rotting teeth, modelling woes and an appreciation for solemnity have historically conspired to make painted grins a rarity, but beaming faces never fail to beguile, finds Claudia Pritchard
![Mother of herbs](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/6vIwLBYlx1718787487440/MOTHER-OF-HERBS.jpg)
Mother of herbs
Enjoying a strange association with childbirth, mugwort is of more use in the kitchen and may even induce 'lucid dreams', finds John Wright
![Bourne to run](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/qDepfNjWf1718787214574/BOURNE-TO-RUN.jpg)
Bourne to run
The garden at Emmetts Mill, Chobham, Surrey A flat waterside site has been transformed into a garden full of drama with plenty of delightful places to stop and enjoy the view, writes Kathryn Bradley-Hole
![Design brought to life](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/9528MQvjF1718786765396/DESIGN-BROUGHT-TO-LIFE.jpg)
Design brought to life
The 2024 WOW!house is a delightful parallel universe of creativity, finds Giles Kime
![Bend it like Beckham](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/GMtGFFxC71718786461992/BEND-IT-LIKE-BECKHAM.jpg)
Bend it like Beckham
Chippendale, Scotland's only independent furniture school, bears a huge name to live up to, but with courses in wood-bending, marquetry, upholstery, restoration and more, it is flourishing under a new generation, finds Mary Miers
!['Makes Buckingham Palace seem rather dull'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5168/1737134/OnMvYKa4B1718786130432/MAKES-BUCKINGHAM-PALACE-SEEM-RATHER-DULL.jpg)
'Makes Buckingham Palace seem rather dull'
The London homes of the British aristocracy were often grander than their country counterparts, palatial without ever being called palaces, says Lucien de Guise