FORESTER Brian Lofthouse has revealed his deep roots in the estate where he works after carving out a sculpture of Swinton Castle, near Masham, from the trunk of a tree.
The sculpture was carved out of a tree from the Spring Garden which was blown down during the winter. It has been unveiled to mark the 125th anniversary of the castle’s Samuel’s Restaurant.
The room, with ornate gold leaf ceiling, was built as part of improvement work on the castle carried out in the 1880s by the current owner, Mark Cunliffe-Lister’s, great-great-great grandfather Samuel Cunliffe-Lister.
Other works at the time included the addition of the second floor and raising the height of the turret.
Mr Lofthouse said: “Wood carving is something I have enjoyed doing in my spare time for a while now, but this is my most ambitious project and I am really pleased with it. Now I am looking forward to celebrating the 125th anniversary with dinner in Samuel’s restaurant with my family.”
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