A CARPENTRY lecturer and his students have helped put a finishing touch in a new Shakespearean house.
Craftsman Armando Magnino was commissioned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to create a circular oak bench to surround a bronze tree sculpture in the garden of the New Place.
The Leamington College lecturer enlisted the help of level 3 furniture crafts student Philipp Stummer and his colleague Simon Ferguson to help with the six-month project.
And thirteen students helped to transport the 25 metre-long bench in six pieces from Armando’s Warwick workshop to Stratford.
Armando said: “We couldn’t have done it without the students so a big thank you to them today. It’s been a long journey as we have been working on the bench since November but it is wonderful to see it finally in the space it was designed for.
“I have done a lot of intricate craftsmanship but nothing on this scale – it brings a whole new level of complexity that has many challenges.
“It’s an honour to have my work in a world famous heritage landmark and hope that the visitors make good use of it to take in the view of the beautiful new garden.”
Philipp added: “It’s amazing to see the bench finally in place. We have done everything in partnership and I have learned so much from Armando on the project.”
Shakespeare’s New Place was set to open on Friday (July 1) but the opening has been postponed due to bad weather.
