St Nicholas Churchyard Oak Tea Light

A tea light holder with a piece of local history in it. It’s 8cm tall and just over 8cm across, with a very small remnant of the bark left on top.

Earlier this year Kent Woodturners were contacted by St Nicholas church in Leeds, near Maidstone. The church was first built in the 11th century, and in the summer an oak tree in its graveyard had to be felled. The tree was somewhere between 150 and 200 years old, yet the church has stood for more than four times as long.

The oak was still relatively green when I turned it, so there’s been a little movement in the wood since, as it has continued to dry. It’s all part of the character of a piece like this.

There’s an old saying that an oak spends 300 years growing, 300 years living and 300 years dying. By that measure, this tree was still in its youth.

Finished with a mixture of carnauba and beeswax.