The Village Carpenter

by Walter Rose

Walter Rose was a master carpenter and the son and grandson of master carpenters. He writes of a village carpentry as it was practiced in Buckinghamshire, England, by his family in Victorian times. Their definition of carpentry was broader than that of the present day; it covered most of the woodworking done except for Wheelwright's work from windmills to furniture, farm grates to coffins, sawpit work to haymaking tools. The importance of skill, the sense of community, and the attitudes to work and to neighbors all emerge from Rose's accounts of tools and techniques. Not incidentally, the revival of interest in old woodworking tools suggests that once more people are pursuing aims that modern technology cannot attain. The technical information presented in The Village Carpenter will be of great interest to readers who like to work with wood or who simply have an appreciation for what the craftsmen can make from that material. But no less significant is the spirit of the old time craft as the author presents it and also the spirit that he himself represents.

Genres: Woodwork, Nonfiction, Crafts, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a third generation time served carpenter and joiner from the Victorian era, this delightful little book tells of men who took a rough hewn natural product and by hand turned it into something of beauty. A necessary item of practical use and pleasing to the eye. It is also an important historical document that details the work of skilled craftsmen all subject to the rhythm of village life.

[Brent Oldland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book greatly appealed to me, and I took much satisfaction in it while reading it.

I am a Baby Boomer who grew up in a household without tools. In my mid-twenties as a husband and a father, I attempted to teach myself rudimentary talents as things around me broke down. Later, I became a devotee of "This Old House," "The New Yankee Workshop," and "The Woodwright's Shop," and by the mid-oughts felt sufficiently adequate to attempt actual woodwork projects with the assistance of YouTube creators. After a couple of decades, I still have the urge, but my talent continues to lag.

Enthralled with all things England since as far back as I can remember, I loved BBC television. Pieces set in the decade before WWII were especially appealing. Does anyone remember James Herriott? For me, those were the days.

"The Village Carpenter" strikes all the chords in my soul. I would have to sometimes remind myself it was written nearly a century ago, and I admit to occasionally asking for a Wikipedia interpretation of some words. That fact alone adds to the emotions Walter Rose raised in me by his book.

While I read this, I had also begun another woodworking project...something for the workshop. The original plans (such as they were) were straightforward and uncomplicated. Something utilitarian and using big box dimension lumber. After finishing "The Village Carpenter" I spent some quiet time in my woodshop. I dusted my chisels, inspected my saws, and organized my measuring and marking tools. While doing so, I determined to re-work my new project such that it will be something better than a jumble of store-bought lumber.

I will never have Mr. Rose's skill, but I want to think he would approve of what I intend to create.

[Dan Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed that this book didn't contain more details about the day-to-day business of the carpenter shop that had been run by his grandfather, father, and himself. But I was pleasantly surprised by the information about the creation of wooden water pumps and the maintenance of water mills and windmills. This was fascinating stuff.

[Tim Berube · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a traditional timber framer (Broadaxe, Adze, boring machine, slick, and Peavey, and muscle) for a bit over 20 years.
Books such as this are invaluable for illuminating a trade which spanned millennial.
An amazing and valuable resource.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at turn of the century carpentry, enjoyable read.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elegantly written, an evocative trip back in history to examine the craft of carpentry with the great personal insight of a person thoroughly familiar with it.

[Nigel Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many things made of wood!

[Jeremy German · Rating 4 out of 5]

From mill repairs, to coffin making this book covers some of the common tasks of a Victorian woodworker. It's interesting to see how similar some of the thought was 100 years ago. Rose hits on sustainability, art in craft, and laments the loss of skill in building arts to machines. There are also mentions of exodus from the town to to a more rural life in the village, something that I didn't know (and hadn't considered) to be a thing during that time period.

[Cheyenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty gorgeous in places, it's a love poem to victorian carpentry. he walks you through the practice and principles with a level of detail that can lose you if you're not too sure about the tools. the writing is eloquent and inviting, so even if he loses you for a few lines he'll get you again with a well-placed image. worth the cost of purchase.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent slice of life, covering matters that normally get omitted in the history books. The observations on carpentry are also informative, and appear to have relevance even today, insofar as it prompts meditation on progressing from mere structure to art. Also recommended for the curious anachronist.

[Chris Shepheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb narrative of a village carpenter at the turn of the nineteenth century - a time of change when machines began to replace the skilled craftsman. All skills are remembered from the joiner to the undertaker via the millwright and.the sawyer.

[pearl]

Not about Jesus. Just sayin'.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is literal. The village is British, late 19th and early 20 century. Speaks to the start of transition from hand work to machine powered.

[Cyberbiker Deitrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an excellent historical view of what it was like to be a local carpenter in late 19th/early 20th century England.