The Canada Bench: Three Weeks in Canada, Carved into Oak

Some people bring home a fridge magnet. Richard brought home an idea for a bench.

He and his family had just got back from three weeks in Canada — staying with family on a farm in Listowel, out to Lake Huron at Kincardine, a Blue Jays game in Toronto, Québec, the train along the St. Lawrence through Montréal and Ottawa, and everyone together again at Niagara Falls for his 60th. A few days after landing, he emailed us: could we carve the whole trip into a bench?

Front view of the 2-metre oak Canada bench with a carved map of Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec

A bench to join the family

Richard isn't a new face. His first piece from us, years ago, was a memorial storytelling chair carved for Milly and Baloo. More chairs followed, and they now sit around an oak table in a gazebo in their Somerset garden. The bench would run along the back of that table, so it had to look like it had always been part of the set: the same rounded arms, the same pointed back posts, and the same seat and arm angles they find so comfortable. Two metres long, 1.18 metres high, room for three.

Richard sent us a concept picture he'd put together of the trip, and Suzanne worked it up with Ben, our workshop manager, into a drawing with real dimensions to carve from.

Carving the journey

The backrest became a map. The St. Lawrence runs right across it, picked out in blue, with each stop carved in relief along the way: the lighthouse at Kincardine, Listowel under a red maple leaf, the Toronto skyline and the CN Tower, Niagara Falls tumbling over the rocks, Ottawa's Parliament, the domes of Montréal and the turrets of Québec. On top of each back post sits a carved blue jay — for the ball game — and the front rail reads “June 2026 Canada Trip”.

Relief carving of Ottawa's Parliament and Montreal's domes above the St. Lawrence River on an oak bench

Carved Toronto skyline, CN Tower and Niagara Falls in relief on the oak Canada bench

Our friend Giles came over to photograph it before it left the workshop — the sharp close-ups here are his.

Carved oak backrest showing the St. Lawrence River in blue, Canadian city skylines and blue jays on the back posts

Off to Somerset

At around 140kg it went onto a pallet in the yard — standing on its end, wrapped up and strapped down — and was delivered to Richard in mid-October.

Our team strapping the Canada bench onto a pallet for delivery at the Mid Wales workshop

The next morning Richard shared a folder of photos with us, with one line: “its amazing and exceeds expectations, thank you so much!” Here it is in its new home, under the gazebo with the rest of the family of chairs.

The Canada bench in the customer's garden gazebo alongside their oak storytelling chairs (customer photo)

Oak storytelling chairs and dining table with the carved Canada bench behind, in a Somerset garden (customer photo)

Hand-carved and painted blue jay on the oak bench post, beside the carved Quebec skyline (customer photo)

Carved Kincardine lighthouse on Lake Huron, detail of the hand-carved oak Canada map bench (customer photo)

Your journey, in oak

A travel map bench works for any trip that mattered: a honeymoon, a big birthday adventure, a gap year, a long walk, or all the places a family has called home. Send us your route and your favourite moments and we'll draw it up for you to approve before anything is carved. Have a look at the Canada Bench for sizes and prices, browse more of our hand-carved garden benches, or get in touch and tell us where you've been.