Religious buildings fulfil a unique need in society and, whatever the religion, provide a place of quiet focus and sanctuary from the outside world.

Oak timber frames create exceptional, distinctive buildings with a sense of peace and inner calm – without the high cost of building in stone.

Carpenter Oak & Woodland has successfully undertaken several religious buildings, including churches and mosques. This diversification shows the flexibility of green oak timber as a building material – whether it’s constructing something traditional to fit in with its surroundings in the New Forest or building something to seamlessly accommodate detailed carvings, brought over especially from India – to be part of a building in London.

Working with you and your architect

Since everything which we produce is bespoke, we’re experienced at working with architects to help to design and build an oak timber frame which meets your brief precisely. Our role is to bring our expertise to the team – to meet your needs and respond to the architect’s vision.

St Dominics priory

A unique perspective on oak timber frames

Our unmatched pedigree of work, in both building and restoration, gives us a unique insight into how oak timber-framed buildings will perform over many years. This positions us strongly to help with buildings both old and new. For example, when developing a new choir building for Wells Cathedral, in Somerset, it was important to create a building which interpreted the structure of the buildings around it. In this case, it meant using large arch brace trusses, inspired by the current roof structure.

Oak frame building and restoration

As well as undertaking new religious buildings, we are also highly experienced at oak frame conservation, restoration and repair, helping to extend the life and beauty of some of the UK’s most popular oak/timber-framed buildings.