A memorial bench made for George Frederick Bailey — with the England Rugby rose carved into a single-piece oak backrest, as close to the official rose as the chisel could manage. Because that’s the kind of man he was.
George died in 2018. His family commissioned the bench through a design process that started with a rose and became something more precise. Suzanne wrote to our carver Dan that the rose “apparently must look as much like the England rugby rose as possible.” Dan redrew it until it was right — then used staining to deepen the petals. The backrest is a single piece of oak, cleared to give the rose the space it deserved. George’s full name and dates are carved alongside: In Loving Memory of George Frederick Bailey, 1961–2018.
Built from solid oak with three coats of Epifanes matt varnish for all-weather outdoor use. Your version begins the same way — with what mattered most to them. Prices include VAT.
Key Features
- Solid oak throughout — single-piece backrest
- Hand-carved England rugby rose, carved and stained to match the official emblem
- Custom inscription carved directly into the timber
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Choose your finish — supplied unvarnished as standard, or add three coats of Epifanes yacht varnish for lasting colour and sheen (+£50)
- Suitable for gardens, parks, sports clubs and memorial spaces
- Handmade in Mid Wales
Dimensions
This bench is available in three standard sizes. The key measurement is the overall width:
- Two-seater: 140 cm wide
- Three-seater: 170 cm wide
- Four-seater: 200 cm wide
All sizes are 55 cm deep, with a 45 cm seat height and 120 cm overall height. See drawings of each size in our bench sizes guide. Every bench is made to order, so if you need a different size to fit your space, just ask.
Your Version
Tell us who the bench is for and the motif that should fill the backrest — a sports badge, a coat of arms, a favourite animal, a meaningful scene. We’ll draw it up and share the design with you before anything is carved. Typical lead time is 4–5 weeks. Get in touch to start the conversation.
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.
