John Makepeace

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FCSD (born John Makepeace Smith; 6 July 1939) is a British furniture designer and maker. Makepeace was born in

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. He bought Parnham House, Dorset in 1976 and founded the Parnham Trust and the ''School for Craftsmen in Wood'' (opened 19 September 1977, later to become Parnham College)The School for Craftsmen in Wood at Parham House
/ref> to provide integrated courses in design, making and management for aspiring furniture-makers, alongside but separately from his own furniture workshops. Makepeace ceased running the Trust in 2000 when it moved to the new campus at Hooke Park under a new director who handed the premises over to the Architectural Association, the international school of architecture, for their practical modules. Makepeace sold Parnham House in 2001 to Michael and Emma Treichl, who carried out extensive renovations, before the fire in 2017 and Michael's suicide. Makepeace works predominantly for private clients, but previously designed furniture for the retail market including Habitat, Heals and Liberty's.

Early life

Makepeace was born John Makepeace Smith in Solihull, Warrickshire on 6 July 1939. He is the child of Harold Alfred Smith and Gladys Marjorie Smith. Though his surname was Smith, on 27 November 1963, he would go on to change take up the surname "Makepeace", the same as his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Makepeace was first introduced to fine woodworking when he was eleven years old when he first visited a furniture maker. When he moved into his teenage years, he discovered his love for the craft when he met different cabinetmakers in Copenhagen.

Career

Makepeace's woodworking career began when he started to work as a design consultant for the all India Handicraft Board. He began to also receive recognition when he became a member of the Crafts Council in the UK and a Trustee of the V&A, London. Seeing the value of education furniture designers/makers, he bought Parnham House, Dorset in 1976, to create the Parnham Trust and the School for Craftsmen in Wood. This was opened in 19 September 1977, though would later become Parnham College. One of his early students here was Viscount Linley, nephew of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Makepeace would run the Trust until 2000, when it moved to Hooke Park under a new director.

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