Before any meaningful pulpit restoration can begin, there is a stage that goes beyond condition and into understanding. Not just what the piece is, but when it was made, how it evolved, and what that means for its construction. For this pulpit at St Patrick's Church, new historical insight revealed that its origins date back to around 1856, with further modifications believed to have taken place during the church’s expansion in the late 19th century. This explained something we had...

Back in November, Studio Sams was contacted by Father Gerard of St Patrick's Church with a request that would become one of our most meaningful projects to date: a full pulpit restoration of a long-forgotten piece of church history. At first glance, it sounded like a fairly typical commission within the world of church furniture restoration. But from the moment we stepped inside the church and began to understand its heritage, it became clear this was something far more significant. A place...

I've never been any good in comfort zones. They're too safe and I get too bored. I can feel myself getting itchy feet, desperately...