It was a bit of a struggle, but at last the picnic table has been restored to its former glory by artist/sculptor Steven Portchmouth who originally built this iconic piece of rural furniture.
The two richly carved and ornamented wooden panels had rotted badly at the base, causing one of them to break off completely. Steven ingeniously strengthened a badly damaged joint with a fat wooden caterpillar, and encased each panel in a sturdy metal frame concealed by more decorative woodwork. The metal legs have now been embedded in concrete, firmly anchoring the panels to the ground once again, with the hope that they will now survive many more years to delight passing visitors. Our grateful thanks go out to Steve for putting in so much time and imagination to salvage this little monument, and also to Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership for part-funding the restoration.