Jeremy Hall. Having studied at Leeds College of Art and West Dean College, Jeremy joined the business in 1979 after a move back to Cumbria with his soon-to-be wife, Diana. After a brief spell woodturning, Jeremy set up the restoration department, and very soon had his first apprentice; John Wynn-Griffiths. With his experience in both restoration and furniture-making, Jeremy initially had a very hands-on role. Jeremy still turns his hand to a spot of woodturning and has an apprentice in this department, rapidly learning the ropes. Now, Jeremy designs all of the furniture made within the business and enjoys speaking with clients in our showroom and also visiting their homes to discuss their furniture requirements in situ to gain a better appreciation of clients tastes and requirements. Now employing 17 members of staff and with such a diverse spread of services offered, there is always a new challenge.

Diana Hall met Jeremy at West Dean College, near Chichester, when he was an antique furniture restoration student and she was a tapestry weaver.  As Jeremy's wife, she has always been connected with the workshop. Diana is usually to be found in the showroom, chatting to visitors and maybe even making them a cup of tea or coffee, or if it's quiet giving the showroom a dust or oiling the furniture. Diana makes the most fabulous mince pies in the lead up to Christmas and clients return annually to enjoy a glass of sherry, one of the famous mince pies and a perusal of our lovely gift items to give as the ideal unusual Christmas present.

Fiona High joined the company in 2004 to take over responsibility for the administration and bookkeeping within the business. Following a 1 year post-university job as the PA for the Head of Site at Lancaster Environment Centre, Fiona enjoyed the administrative elements of her job as much as the research aspect and knew that the varied role at Peter Hall’s would keep her interested and busy. She enjoys working in a business that strives for perfection and where there is a huge diversity of skills and where from one day to the next, the job can vary from discussing work with clients, carrying out survey work with the restoration department, preparing accounts to writing marketing literature.

John Wynn-Griffiths has worked at Peter Hall’s for 28 years. John has trained three apprentices. One has worked alongside him for a further 6 years after serving his time, whilst Ted is in his first year with us. In recent years, John has shown a lot of commitment to his professional development, first through gaining PACR accreditation and second through the study for his MA in Preventive Conservation. Many of the customers know John well and return to him for work on their precious pieces, knowing that they will receive a level of care than cannot be surpassed. Due to his accredited status and experience, John has been asked to prepare some lengthy documents for buildings of historic significance, which aid in the long term planning of the conservation and restoration strategy for the Trust, and raising funding for the projects. He has recently been appointed in a part time role as National Trust Conservator for Yorkshire and the North East.

David Andrews was employed by Peter Hall in 1985 to provide the business with the essential missing element of upholstery, working alongside cabinet-making on new upholstered items, and restoration on restored sofas and chairs. Trained through WT Clarke and Son, Liverpool, David worked for 15 years as an upholsterer before relocating to the Lake District. In recent years, David has most enjoyed working on some of the historic pieces for Dunham Massey, Cheshire, and for a large country estate in Lancashire. The work entailed rebuilding from the frames using traditional upholstery techniques, and David has enjoyed being involved in work preserving furniture that is of excellent quality and within the historic setting originally intended for the pieces. Of the huge range of new upholstered furniture made by Peter Hall’s, David would choose the Wasdale wing chair for his home.

Tim Smithoriginally gained his apprenticeship at a joinery workshop in Little Langdale. The company worked on large projects such as barn conversions and the restoration of Country House Hotels, to the finer aspects of restoration and making of furniture. In 1989, Tim started his own business in Staveley Mill Yard so he could focus on cabinet-making. In 1996 he decided to join the highly successful and driven team at Peter  Hall & Son, where he excelled and was made head of the department in 2000. In 2003, an item of furniture made by Tim was awarded a Guild Mark (The Worshipful Company of Furniture makers) for a marquetry corner cupboard made for a private client. As the most experienced member of the department, Tim has the opportunity to work on the most complex projects and also takes responsibility for the training of the young apprentices, which he finds one of the most satisfying elements of his job; seeing them grow and develop their skills.

John Bowley joined the team in early 2007, and works alongside Diana in the showroom. John has been a client since 2001, and retired from working with a Swiss pharmaceutical company after over 40 years in this field. John has been passionate about the company for a number of years, and has a strong interest in all aspects of the business but most of all, for the antique restoration.  John has been responsible for many of the new marketing initiatives that have taken place in recent years at Peter Hall & Son, most notably, the presence that the company now has at the H&H King Auction Rooms in Carlisle at their quarterly furniture sale.

Gill Flockhart gained her degree in Interior Design from Glasgow School of Art, and has worked at Peter Hall & Son since 2000. After the birth of her daughter in 2008, Gill has worked part-time alongside Shirley Kirby in the interior design studio. Gill has enjoyed some fantastic projects whilst working at Peter Hall’s, from specifying period fabrics at Grade I listed property, to a project in Bowness designing all the curtains for a large new build property and overseeing the installation of electrical curtain tracks. 

Shirley Kirby joined Peter Hall & Son four years ago after moving to Cumbria from Herefordshire where she had been running her own soft furnishing business for 18 years. Entirely self-taught, she targeted the sector of the market she wanted to work in - highest standards and excellence in making - and set about achieving it. Shirley has worked for Earl Spencer both at Althorp and in London, for Edward Bulmer, the historic interior specialist, overseeing teams making the furnishings and all the upholstered furniture for Home House, the private members' club in London; also work for Sotheby's and the Lansdowne Club. Other work for private clients has ranged from large estate properties to simple cottages. Since joining Peter Hall projects have included the interior scheme and furniture at Cafe in the Forest at Grizedale, complete refurbishment of two flats in a country mansion house and several holiday-let properties.

Joshua Tarr applied to be an apprentice restorer/conservator in 2001. Josh’s skills and passion at school were in the design and woodwork departments and he knew this was the career path for him. Josh was trained by John Griffiths, and now works alongside John, bringing items back to life. Since qualifying in 2005, Josh’s favourite pieces have been a number of 17^th Century Press Cupboards from Local Lakeland farmhouses. Josh is now using one of these pieces as his example to use in gaining PACR accreditation. Other interesting recent jobs for Josh have included a week spent at Dunham Massey refinishing flood damaged panelling following a burst radiator in the cold winter of 2010, and a 2000 mile round trip over three days to deliver 26 chairs to a customer in the South of France, in time for his large family festivities. Josh found himself driving through heavy snow for much of the journey but ploughed on regardless to ensure another happy customer.

Ian Sugden was fortunate enough to be looking for a traineeship in woodturning at the time of the previous woodturned leaving. Since starting in mid-2010, Ian has shown a remarkable adaptability to the role and has made some of the most fantastic pieces, from our very popular wine coaster, to inlaid lazy susans, salad bowls and pewter rim bowls. Ian enjoys all aspects of the job, with the perfect mix of the efficiency that is achieved with the batches of napkin rings, etc, to the creative elements of turning the bowls. Ian is given a free half day per week where he can design and turn his own creations.

Ted Carefoot visited Peter Hall & Son in 2010 and his persistent enquiries lead to him being awarded a trial week in the cabinet workshop.  In this week, it was clear that Ted had the right drive and attributes to succeed as one of Peter Hall & Son’s craftsmen.  At 24 years old, Ted had gained a degree in fine art and decided that a career in furniture would suit his desire to apply his natural artistic skills in a practical way to make something both beautiful and functional. Following a few months in cabinet-making, Ted transferred to the restoration department and is now a crucial member of the restoration team. The element that has most appealed to Ted within furniture restoration is the close attention required and the handwork involved in carefully preserving client’s precious pieces. Ted is now at the stage in his training where he is learning how to patch, and polish pieces.

Tom Addison started at the end of 2009 after 1 year at Kendal College. He decided that although the course was interesting and certainly in the field in which he wanted to work, experience in a workshop was the best means for him to develop. Tom was interviewed with 3 others and spent an hour in the workshop competing against the other candidates to carry out a specific task. Tom impressed Jeremy and Tim with his approach to the task and he was offered the position over three other very good candidates. Tom recently worked on a project  making two desks for a client which was the single largest commission ever carried out by Peter Hall & Son. He was an integral part of the team and carried out some of the finishing touches, under the watchful eye of Tim and Paul. Tom has also had the opportunity to work on projects where has had sole responsibility from machining to finishing, including work on CD cabinets, childs chairs and book troughs. He is currently aiming to improve his hand skills and develop his “furniture makers mind”.

Jack Sandys gained a distinction at college studying City and Guilds furniture production, and was awarded “Student of the Year” in the furniture course. In 2009, Jack started at our workshops and is now at the stage of taking responsibility for some exciting works such as the beautiful inlaid walnut lamp tables, Oxford coffee tables, and also assisting on the large and complex jobs coming through our workshops. In his own time, Jack is using the workshops and the experience of his colleagues to develop his skills in carving, and he has recently embarked on making a child’s chair for his new niece.

James Gibson applied to Peter Hall & Son following on from a work experience programme through his local school. James impressed the cabinet-makers on his week here, with his quiet and steady determination. In 2008, James completed his 4-year apprenticeship and gained “The Apprentice of the year” award at Herefordshire College of Technology. The concave fronted oak kneehole desk he designed and made for his final project was of the best quality his tutors had seen from their students. In the time since completing his apprenticeship, his favourite project has been the beautiful serpentine sideboard, designed by Jeremy Hall in 2006.

Stuart Marsden has gained a number of certificates and awards during his time at Peter Hall & Son. Starting in 1993, Stuart served a 4 year apprenticeship, during which he was awarded Regional Skills Build Winner for the North of England. He then proceeded to win the National Skills Build competition at Birmingham NEC in 1997. After winning the regional competition again in 1999, Stuart qualified for the 35^th International Skills Olympic where he represented his Country and came 9^th. Stuart also had the opportunity to meet Prince Philip when he awarded a City of Guilds Silver Medal in 2000. Stuart has a lot of skill and passion for carving and veneer work, and one of the recent projects that most interested him was a large 4-poster bed with marquetry headboard and posts.

Paul Thornton started at Peter Hall & Son in 1996 with ambitions to make the quality of furniture he had admired for many years in the showroom. After a 4-year apprenticeship, Paul achieved a Certificate of Excellence from Salisbury College, after completing a 2-year part time NVQ. Paul is now works alongside Tim and Stuart on the more complex and difficult designs, and providing training for the younger cabinet making trainees and apprentices. Paul was the primary cabinet-maker to work on a pair of unusual desks designed to fulfil specific requirements of the customer; one being fitted out for using with and storage for art materials, with a built in easel, and the second desk fitted with such items as a computer screen, lifting out on an actuator. This project was the single largest commission ever at Peter Hall & Son and took several months to complete.