Giant oak tree offers craftsmen a fair chance to show off skills

By nbrown

JUST under 12 months ago the felling of a giant tree formed the centrepiece of the Oak Fair at Stoke Gaylar.

This year the tree is again the centrepiece of the fair, between Sturminster Newton and Sherborne off the B3081, where all the pieces it has been made into are on display.

Adam's Axemen had the dead oak down in just over an hour. Three dozen craftsmen have taken somewhat longer to rejuvenate it in a multitude of different pieces.

Last week the estate unveiled the result of offering parts of the tree, large and small, to exhibitors and visitors last year.

And in the giant marquee, at whose entrance stands the base and roots of the 159-year-old specimen, their handiwork went on display to the public in advance of this year's event on Saturday.

Estate owner Andrew Langmead, who had the idea of celebrating the rebirth of the tree, said: "The exhibition flows from its very roots, into its trunk and all through its branches and out into the twigs, and is a wonderful educational experience and a tribute to the craftsmanship within Dorset and the surrounding counties."

He said that ever since the first show five years ago he had tried to introduce something different, and the idea of the rebirth of the Dorset oak had spanned two of them.

He said: "I am a man who doesn't really like shows, and had to create something different at Stock Gaylard."

The celebration of woodland and wildlife is now in its fifth year, with a growing number of supporters and exhibitors.

This year everyone who last year took home a piece of the oak brought his or her own inspiration to celebrate the life of the tree and give it new purpose.

They have fashioned items of furniture that will long outlive their makers, a variety of bowls, boxes, sculptures, animals and birds which might once have found shelter in it.

Bill Moore, of the Mary Rose Trust, has no problem finding historical artefacts found on the Tudor ship which he could replicate, including a backgammon board, a stave bucket, and a linstock used for firing a gun.

He said: "It was a bit of a challenge, because the items found on the wreck have all been blackened by being under sea water for so long,"

Cabinet and yurt maker Jamie Ross, who works on the Stock Gaylard estate, has created a church gate, a child's rustic bed and a wood framed window, and pupils from Yewstock special school in Sturminster Newton have, under the guidance of tutor Philip Ross, developed a totem pole.

He said: "We researched native American history on the internet, and found some very ornate designs, but had to settle for a simple one featuring just one figurehead and the letters spelling out the school's name."

Sculptor Jamie Hart has created a human knee, bicep and torso, as well as what he describes as a root-doodle by polishing up one of the tree's roots.

And the Dorset Wildlife Trust' Bat Group has claimed a piece of trunk complete with holes in which, if examined carefully, conceals a bat which could well have roosted there.

The exhibition. with many of the items for sale, is open between 2pm and 6pm every afternoon leading up to the Oak Fair which opens at 10am on Saturday.

The fair itself features family entertainment including children's drum and art workshops, a scarecrow competition and a fancy dress competition judged by Susan Hampshire.

For further details call 01963 23511.