Reclaimation and restoration by Bushkraft team

Bushkraft, the brainchild of friends Paul Bushell and Mark Baker during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 as they had been discussing starting their own small business.

Paul is a heating engineer by trade, but he said he’s always been interested in making things, and the idea for starting a business came during lockdown when on a rowing machine alongside Mark, a farmer, and they got chatting about running their own business.

The enterprise initially began in Paul’s garage in Horncastle, offering a variety of furniture and gifts which have either been made from upcycled items, reclaimed items, or handmade by Paul or Mark themselves, and fitting the business in around their full-time jobs.

As their enterprise grew, they were eventually given a premises to work from in nearby Thornton by the Dymoke family after rebuilding an old barn, and Paul’s wife Amanda said: “It was great because we eventually got our garage back.”

Paul said: “We had nothing when we first started here. There were no real walls, no power and not even a proper ceiling, just a roof.

“The Dymoke family did some repairs for us and let us do what we wanted with the building.”

Bushkraft specialises in reclamation and restoration of furniture ranging from straightforward repairs to repurposing items to make new ones, with weird and wonderful results.

“People can come to us with ideas for customising gifts or any ideas they have and we’ll try anything,” Amanda said.

They began making things like cupboards, chopping boards, oil diffusers, and signs out of reclaimed and upcycled items. One such project they have worked on recently saw a 1920s oil lamp repurposed as a table lamp and an old drum has been made into a clock.

Just some of the projects Bushkraft has undertaken in recent months were the 40 horse signs that formed the Horncastle Horse Fair trail, and the outline of King Charles III for Horncastle in Bloom which featured in the town’s coronation celebrations. The team also created the sign for Horncastle Town Council's new Woodland Cemetery.

Another interesting project saw a new breakfast bar created for a client’s kitchen made from an old book case and an old drill press made into a side board – not to mention a unique sideboard from an old antique bicycle. They’ve made several clocks from whiskey barrel staves and a coat rack made from a piece of burr elm and spent shotgun pellets. They work closely with Rosedale House Florists to make bespoke wedding signs for couples to have at their weddings.

Paul said: “I love the one-off pieces that are really unique and you have to think about how to go about it.”

Mark added: “I love the finishing and when you can see your hard work shine through.”

Recently the team visited the now disused Methodist chapel in Old Bolingbroke and managed to forage a number of items that will be repurposed into new, unique pieces.

Mark said: “Our most popular requests are signs made from old wood. Lots of signs are made from oak as it’s better to withstand weather."

Bushkraft hosted a craft fair on November 12, its first event of its kind, and Amanda said it went really well and they’ve had some great feedback, with plans to host similar events in the future, and grow the business as much as possible.

To find out more about Bushkraft visit https://www.facebook.com/bushkraftreclamation or https://bushkraft.uk/