A handcrafted oak bench made for Coton Orchard — established 1922 and hidden at the heart of a Cambridgeshire village — with fox, badger, bee and tree carved into the backrest, and the inscription that captures exactly what such a place is: “At the heart of a village, a hidden story, a wild home.”
Coton Orchard has been there for over a century: long enough to become something more than a garden, more than a fruit-growing space. It’s a habitat, a refuge, a place where the village’s wildlife has lived alongside its memory since 1922. The bench commission came from those who wanted to mark that — to give the orchard a seat that felt like it belonged there rather than arrived from a catalogue. The fox and badger sleep on the backrest in the way animals do when they feel safe. The bee is in the blossom. The tree is the orchard itself. The inscription says everything in eight words.
Built from solid oak with three coats of Epifanes matt varnish for all-weather outdoor use, this is the kind of bench that becomes part of a place over time. Prices include VAT.
Key Features
- Solid oak throughout
- Hand-carved fox, badger, bee and tree motifs in the backrest
- Custom inscription and heritage date (“Est 1922”) carved directly into the timber
- Three coats Epifanes matt varnish — fully weatherproof
- Suitable for orchards, community gardens, village greens and public spaces
- Handmade in Mid Wales
Dimensions
- W140 × D60 × H120cm
- Seat height approx 45cm
- Three seater version available on request
Your Version
If you have a special place — a community orchard, a village green, a nature reserve, a school wildlife garden — that deserves a bench with its own story carved in, we can work with you on the design. Typical lead time is 4–5 weeks. Get in touch to discuss.
