This memorial bench was made for Calum — a little boy whose family wanted his favourite world carved and painted into something they could sit with for years to come. We built it from solid oak and gave the backrest over to a hand-painted scene of a child reading among the clouds, with Pikachu at his side and Charizard sweeping overhead, framed by the words Forever in our hearts.
Pikachu sits carved and painted at the top of each post, more of Calum's favourite Pokémon are worked into the legs, and his name is carved across the front of the seat. Every character was hand-painted in our workshop in Wales and sealed against the weather, so the colours stay bright season after season.
A bench like this begins with a conversation about the person being remembered — the characters they loved, the colours, the words that matter. We carve and paint each one to order, so no two are ever the same. If you'd like us to create a personalised children's memorial bench for someone special, we'd be honoured to talk it through with you.
Finish
This piece is supplied unvarnished as standard. Left natural, solid oak slowly weathers to a soft, silvery-grey — completely normal for outdoor timber, a graceful way for a piece to age, and with no maintenance needed. If you’d prefer to bring out the grain and warm, honeyed tones, choose the varnished option (+£50) and we’ll hand-apply three coats of Epifanes, a premium marine yacht varnish.
More about the two finishes
Outdoor furniture takes a real beating from sun and weather. Left natural, an unvarnished piece simply silvers over time and asks nothing of you. A varnished piece keeps its rich sheen for a couple of years; after that the varnish may begin to flake or patch, at which point you can simply re-coat it, or let it weather back to that natural silvery-grey. Either way, your oak is fine.
