The new oak bench made for Tudor Arcade in Dorchester by Simon Thomas Pirie Furniture of Dorset has been installed and is now “officially open”, as a smiling John Beaves tells a smiling passer-by at the end of this video.
Note: this video was filmed and edited by Stephen Banks (“Dorset Scouser“) with me (Jonathan Hudston) chipping in from the sidelines in a manner that I like to think was sometimes useful.
When we there, we were approached by a rather belligerent old man who pointed at the bench and said: “I hope this isn’t being paid for on the rates.” Momentarily, it was tempting to say YES, to see his reaction, but it was obvious what it would have been, and anyway, it wouldn’t have been true. It’s paid for by the private owners of the arcade.
Personally, I think it’s good to have features that add character to a place.
One of the reasons that Lyme Regis has fared well in recent years is that the resort has been able to secure some eye-catching and distinctive street furniture; the famous ammonite lamp-posts, for example.
Or E: All of those things and more? The answer, of course, is E, certainly in the eyes of its makers – the team at Simon Thomas Pirie Furniture at Briantspuddle near Bere Regis in Dorset. The oak bench they’ve steam-bent and scorched is going to be installed in Dorchester’s Tudor Arcade, outside of Waitrose and Fat Face, at the start of May. So how does Simon Pirie hope his creation will impress the eyes of its beholders and the backsides of its users?
He said: “I hope people will get a sense of fun out of it, I hope it will be visually stimulating, and I also hope it will spark conversation, because in a sense it is a conversation piece.
“It’s a practical piece of furniture with a few quirks, but it is first and foremost a conversation piece, somewhere people can meet and talk and people watch.”
In the video above Simon explains that the bench is partly inspired by traditional love seats, in which people sit side-by-side but back-to-back, so the bench is divided into a series of separate chairs.
Simon said: “The chair that you see as you walk down the arcade towards the supermarket will be face on towards you and the idea is that it will feel quite throne-like. The person who gets that seat is going to feel quite important because they are going to have the whole vista of the shopping arcade coming towards them. I’m looking forward to getting that kind of long shot down the arcade to see who’s got that prime seat.
“It might be me on occasions, I suppose.”
Simon Pirie trained in the 1990s at Hooke Park College near Beaminster in West Dorset. The college was set up by the internationally renowned furniture maker John Makepeace to encourage a generation of “entrepreneurs in wood”. Simon has been running his own fine furniture business for 12 years, until now working largely with individual clients.
The Dorchester bench is different. The result of a public art commission, it’s a significant new venture.
Simon said: ”We wanted to create something special for this. I mean, we’re known as fine furniture makers. Public art is relatively new for us, and it’s an area we’re looking to expand into.
“This is the first piece that will actually go in situ, so it’s an important job for us.
“We’re working with architects and commercial companies rather than individual clients and that’s a little bit different for us, so it’s a groundbreaker.
“It also manages to encompass lots of other areas of interest, like steambending, like high-tech manufacturing techniques, and like scorching, so there’s lots of elements in there which are very exciting for us as furniture makers.
“And I guess the slightly quirky joke from my perspective is that, if you look at it from above, it’s actually in the shape of a question mark.
“So, there is that kind of question – What should it be used for? How can it be used? Hopefully it has that sense of fun about it, because you don’t want want to be too po-faced and serious.”
Simon said that he has always had a hankering to do outside furniture, and the chance to fulfill that wish in Dorchester has been gratifying.
“It’s our county town, it’s where local and regional government is based, so it’s good to do it in Dorchester.
“It’s a gem of a little town, it’s a beautiful place, and the arcade where it’s going to be the visual centrepiece is having a refresh.
“Despite the general air of gloom about the economy there’s actually quite a lot of optimism in Dorchester, there’s new projects and new buildings, so it’s an exciting place to be.
“It’s our local county town, six or seven miles away from our workshop; it feels very nice.”
Editor’s Note: I’ve been interested in Hooke Park College and people associated with it ever since I first went there about 18 years ago. Simon Pirie is part of the group of people who’ve spread out from there across Dorset… I made the video above with Stephen Banks (“Dorset Scouser“).
“Much that I’d been warned about in relation to the way in which West Dorset District Council conducts its affairs appears to be true. There is precious little “democracy” as evidenced by the fact that there’s virtually no debate on major issues.” So argues independent councillor Alistair Chisholm, who was elected in May 2011.
“Legend has it that the villages of Puddletown and Briantspuddle, which used to contain the word ‘piddle’, changed their village titles to avoid embarrassing Queen Victoria whilst she was visiting.” So says the newly-published Little Book of Dorset. Is it true?
THOUSANDS OF POUNDS are being offered to West Dorset community groups by the Bridport Community Fund and the Dorchester Joint Markets Committee.
The money comes from entrance fees at Dorchester Market and West Bay car boot sales.
Good causes previously given grants have included toddler groups, pre-schools, sport clubs and village halls.
Application forms are available from today (1 December 2010) at www.dorsetforyou.com/dorchestergrants and www.dorsetforyou.com/bridportfund or from town council offices and tourist information centres.
The closing date for applications, which will be considered by a panel of West Dorset district councillors, is 28 February 2011.
For more information about applying for a grant contact Christine Stone on 01305 252238 or c.stone@westdorset-dc.gov.uk