When Joe Fudge started pursuing a career in carpentry, little did he know that he’d go on to make beautiful tiny houses on wheels for customers far and wide. Since establishing Sussex Huts in 2012, Joe has successfully combined his fascination for crafting wood with his enthusiasm for providing practical small living spaces.
Joe, who grew up in the pretty village of Slinfold, near Horsham, inherited his passion for wood from his grandfather who worked on restoration projects at Hughenden Manor and Cliveden House. “As a child, I loved watching and helping my grandfather work on wood-turning projects in his workshop. I have fond memories of crafting wooden eggs made from offcuts as well as making bowls, mushrooms and other small items,” recalls Joe.
“My grandfather was such an inspiration. He could turn his hand to anything, from wooden bowls to fine furniture. My mother has a grandfather clock he made. It reminds me of him every time I see it.”
Under his grandfather’s guidance, Joe began to hone his carpentry skills, learning to fully appreciate the quality and hours taken to make something beautiful and timeless. After leaving school, Joe trained as a carpenter at Chichester College for three years. He then gained valuable traditional skills working for a company that specialises in restoring period properties.
Following time off work due to an injury, Joe became interested in shepherd’s huts (also known as shepherd wagons), which were traditionally used by shepherds tending to their flock, particularly during the long days and nights of lambing season. As the huts often had iron wheels, they could be moved from one remote terrain to another, providing the shepherd with somewhere to rest and shelter from extreme elements. Joe quickly realised the potential of the hut as an alternative garden living space and decided to make one for himself in his spare time.
Bu hikaye Sussex Life dergisinin January 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Sussex Life dergisinin January 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
TAKE YOUR TIME
Dean Edwards’ new cookbook features delectable recipes that you can slow cook or stick in the oven. Here’s a selection of the best
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
ON THE FRONT FOOT
The rugby legend took the reins at Sussex County Cricket Club in 2017, rekindling his love for a sport that first won his heart on the village cricket fields of North Yorkshire
NAKED AMBITION
In the 1980s, Christine and Jennifer Binnie partied with Boy George and Marilyn and bared all as performance art collective The Neo-Naturists. Now they are working together to gain the recognition they feel they deserve
ROCKET MAN
Astronaut Tim Peake has come a long way since growing up in Westbourne and attending Chichester High School for Boys: 248 miles above Earth, to be precise. But, he says, life on the International Space Station has a lot in common with family caravanning holidays
Revolution man
Lewes’ most famous resident Thomas Paine may be the greatest propagandist who ever lived. But how did a humble customs and excise officer ignite the touchpaper for revolution in not one but two countries?
THE DIARY
17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex
All in a day's work
Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades
My favourite Sussex
Bruce Fogle is an author and a vet with a practice in London who has lived in West Sussex with his wife, the actress Julia Foster, since 1989. He recently became president of RSPCA Mount Noddy near Chichester
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Brighton is often rated one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK. What these restaurants prove is that plant-based food doesn’t have to be puritanical – at all of these places you’ll find big flavours and a desire to push the envelope