Artisans of Dartmoor - Book - Page 68
with soaring sequoias and centuries-old oak trees.
Across a courtyard, working in converted store
rooms, are potter Alison West (see page 135) and
burial shroud maker Yuli Somme.
Once your eyes have adjusted to the relative
dark inside Stuart’s workshop, a riot of
colour, form and texture emerges. “Let’s call it
picturesque Dickensian disorder,” he suggests.
Shelves are stacked with rolls of delicate silks,
sumptuous damasks, slubby linens, soft wools and
hard-wearing hessian, while tassels and dining
chairs in various stages of undress hang from
wooden rafters. Walls are lined with cabinets
containing colourful thread and twine and, next
to his workbench, Stuart’s extensive collection
of hand tools are mounted to a rail. On window
sills, hand-labelled pots containing potent-looking
polishes, oils, dyes and woodworm treatments
jostle for space. ‘‘I often end the day feeling
pleasantly floaty,” he jokes. “Sometimes I wonder if
I’m only in this for the solvent abuse!”
On the floor are bags full of traditional stuffing
and padding, including horse hair, shredded
coconut husks and dried grasses. In one corner, by
a heater, Stuart’s lurcher, Eno, is curled up regally
in a tattered mahogany armchair. Occasionally,
when Stuart works late, a pipistrelle bat from the
colony in the barn next door visits, sometimes
even crawling across his worktop as he sews.
Stuart’s most unusual pieces of equipment
include hyper-sensitive scales for weighing
feathers, a vintage lingerie overlocker for sewing
delicate fabrics, and a cast-iron pot for animal glue,
made from boiled hooves and horns. “It’s really
bilious stuff to work with. But some customers like
things to be truly authentic.”
Stuart’s interest in furniture grew at art
college and, after leaving, he schooled himself in
advanced techniques and taught for five years. In
1988, he opened his business, Grove Upholstery,
68
The Upholsterer • Stuart Coote
