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I
just wanted to write and thank you for the superb courses that I have
attended both at The Windsor Workshop and West Dean College. On each
occasion I have felt exceedingly positive about the total experience and
consider each of them to be excellent value for money. No matter
what chair is to be made, whatever the degree of difficulty of the design,
or the extent of the components to be made, the programmes are
well-devised and suitably paced to cater for the individual skill
level of all the class members. Your interventions are appropriate
and timely, thereby enabling every student to leave having experienced a real
sense of personal achievement. The workshop organisation, suitability of
raw materials, and quality of tools and equipment are of the highest order
and each contribute to a marvelous learning experience.
The teaching is excellent and your patience to overcome the inevitable
challenges faced on each course is outstanding. I most certainly commend
the high levels of motivation that you inspire and on each and every
occasion I find I cannot wait to try out the new techniques acquired when
I return to my own workshop. As a former Member of Her Majesty's
Inspectorate of Schools and Colleges charged with observing, writing and
reporting on the quality of Craft, Design and Technology in the nation's
educational establishments, I am pleased to write so enthusiastically
about the excellent courses you provide and I give you full
permission to share my thoughts with others, in the hope that these
comments might be of interest. I look forward with enthusiasm to my
next course!
K.J. (Kent) October 2006 and September 2007
I had my first class with
James in 2005, I could make several kinds of American
Windsor Chairs, a thing I was taught at the school of
American Master Michael Dunbar in New Hampshire. I
wanted to make English Windsors because I like their high style
and and craftsmanship and the look of natural woods. Being
taught by James is a different experience. You really make all the
chair parts, from splitting greenwood and turning parts to
the last sanding, under constant supervision. I learned a lot of
things, the first of which being not to say "good
enough"!. I made two chairs at the Windsor workshop.
Well they are still far from perfection, but they are the best I
made, and I know how to go further.
V.L. (Paris) May 2005 and May 2007
There is something almost magical
about being told that you are going to transform some logs complete with
bark and moss into a chair in five days—and not any old chair, but an
elegant Windsor Chair which would grace any living room. This is part of
the magic of embarking on a course with James Mursell at the Windsor
Workshop in
West Sussex
. For anyone with the least interest in creating something beautiful from
wood; in learning to use new tools that have a long traditional history;
or in just the satisfaction of completing a substantial project in a week,
there can be nothing better than this course.
The magic I experienced depended on the enthusiasm, skills and
knowledge of a good teacher—and James certainly fits that description.
Never once did he suggest I was doing anything wrong—rather he
encouraged me to develop my skills with such phrases as “I find it works
best like this.” or “You might find it easier if…” I had never
worked with unseasoned work or used tools such as the spokeshave,
drawknife or travisher before. Each day I was learning how to use a new
tool or a new approach and under James’ watchful eye (and ear!) I
progressed to the conclusion of Friday—the completed chair.
The magic extends to the surroundings as well. Set in the delightful
Sussex
countryside with views to the
South Downs
, the workshop itself is well-equipped, clean and inviting. James has
created a teaching environment that makes you want to succeed. And succeed
you do, whatever your starting point.
If you want to experience a very special, yes, almost magical, week
then you can do no better than sign up for a course with James Mursell at
the Windsor Workshop.
E.G. (Hampshire)
December 2007
Courses with James change the way you view furniture and its construction
forever. I started a complete novice and was gently guided by James
through five well planned days, transforming two green logs into a graceful
Windsor chair. The feeling of pride as you sit back on the Friday
afternoon looking at your creation is almost tangible. James’s lightness
of touch and unfailing support builds your confidence. The workshop is a
serene delight set in the foothills of the South Downs, warm, spacious and
well equipped. Each time has been a most fulfilling week, I recommend it
without hesitation.
J.S. (Sussex) November 2006 and November 2007
I found it magical that within 5
days a couple of wet logs could end up as a Windsor chair! The whole
course was well organised and ran like clockwork. Your teaching skills are
excellent and the whole environment is calming with Mozart in the
background when things get a bit difficult. I was able to use some old
skills, but learnt many new ones, particularly bending wood.
M.A. (Devon) November 2007
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