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Sylva Blog

The oneoak blog is part of the SYLVA Foundation blog which contains news about the organisation and all our initiatives.

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April 21, 2023
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Join us for Artweeks 2023

in category: Announcements, Sylva Wood Centre

Join us as we open the Sylva Wood Centre again to visitors on May 7/8 and 13/14 during Oxfordshire Artweeks.

Artweeks at the Sylva Wood Centre

The Sylva Wood Centre will be taking part in Oxford Artweeks this year! May 7th, 8th, 13th and 14th. Open 10am-5pm.

With open workshops on both Artweeks weekends, take the opportunity to talk to more than a dozen skilled craftspeople about their work making furniture, boats, and more.

The Sylva Wood School will also open its doors, for visitors to meet our tutors and students, and learn about a range of short and long woodworking courses on offer.

The House of Wessex – an Anglo-Saxon reconstructed house – will be open and living history society Wulfheodenas will be demonstrating various crafts including weaving and metal work (13/14th May only)

Parking is free and our Hardwood Cafe will be open with a selection of home-made cakes with tea and coffee.

Find us on the Artweeks webpages

Here’s a sneak preview of just some of the work of artists taking part this year:

April 26, 2022
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Open Day 2022

in category: exclude from front page, Sylva Wood Centre

Artweeks 2022 at the Sylva Wood Centre

We are delighted to open the Sylva Wood Centre to visitors once more during Oxfordshire Artweeks.

We are open for 14/15 May from 10am-5pm.

Come and see the craftspeople at work in our Wood Centre and learn about their businesses; visit the Wood School to find out about our courses and see our students’ projects. There is also the opportunity to join the Trees, Timber and Teas event (link) and see the living history society, Wulfheodenas in action at our reconstructed Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex.

Free parking and Free entry to all venues.

Special event: Trees, timber and tea: woodland walk and tea tasting

Join us for a multi-sensory look at some ways that trees make our life richer and how we can support this extraordinary life-form.
Tickets £24. Booking essential

Find us on the Oxfordshire Artweeks website

COVID-19: we will be following government advice to ensure the safety of visitors – many of our spaces are large and well-ventilated. Handwashing and sterilising stations will be provided.

Artweeks 2022 map

Artweeks 2022 at the Sylva Wood Centre

March 9, 2020
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Renovation of the old Grain Store

in category: Announcements, Sylva Wood Centre, WOOD

Despite the wet winter we’ve been busy at the Sylva Wood Centre completing the renovation of our old Grain Store. We’ve just completed this timelapse film, taken over several months, which finishes with the fitting of innovative thermally-modified hardwood products, including cladding, windows, and a door. The Brimstone products were provided by Vastern Timber, in turn supported by a grant from the Forestry Commission.

Oxfordshire Leader

EU agricultural fund for rural development

The building is almost unrecognisable from its former state, clad in asbestos and fit only for storage. Most visitors are convinced it is a completely new build.

Our thanks to all those who’ve worked on the building, and to our funders Oxfordshire Leader.

May 9, 2019
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Artweeks 2019

in category: EDUCATION, events, Sylva Wood Centre

We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors, friends old and new, to the Sylva Wood Centre during the next two weekends for Oxfordshire Artweeks. Open each day from 10am-5pm. Free parking. Café, with lots to see and do for all the family.

Artweeks flier 2019

We have a webpage dedicated to the exhibition at www.sylva.org.uk/artweeks

November 2, 2018
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Course: hurdle-making 23-24 March 2019

in category: Courses, exclude from front page, Sylva Wood Centre, Sylva Wood School

Learn and practise how to split hazel and make hurdles with coppice worker and craftsman Simon Farndon during this two-day course at the Sylva Wood Centre.

: Simon Fardon, hurdle-maker, demonstrating

: Teaching hurdle making

Students will be taught hazel splitting and how to make hurdles on the Saturday and then will practise making hurdles on the Sunday.

Hazel hurdles are a very popular and attractive alternative to garden panels or garden screens and wind breaks. Split (cleft) and round hazel rods are woven around hazel uprights (zales). There are slight variations on design between different regions, but students will learn to make the most robust hurdles using good quality graded split hazel, which is twisted around end posts to produce a very strong and robust hurdle.

The hurdles that students make will be used in the Anglo-Saxon reconstruction of the House of Wessex, to be built over the summer of 2019. If they wish, students on this course will be welcome to volunteer to help with this by making more hurdles later in the year, or by helping fix hurdels to the wall annd roof structure of the building.

By taking part, students will not only help in this exciting volunteer project, but leave with the requisite skills to make their own hurdles at home.

Cost £200. Lunch provided. Maximum of 8 places.

Book your place