Arundel wood sculptor makes children's playtime dreams come true

He has brought together the elements of fun and landscape to create beautifully crafted stand-alone wooden structures.

From the battlements of their castle, they can fend off the enemy, or on the decks of their pirate ship, they can roam the seas in search of plunder.

This exciting new branch to Simon’s business, based at Blakehurst, near Arundel, came about through customer satisfaction and creative evolution.

“A long-standing client and good friend asked me if I could design something interesting for his seaside home that his grandchildren could play on,” Simon explains.

“I came up with a couple of ideas in the form of carved logs but couldn’t quite get the spark into the design that I was looking for. I needed something that was going to inspire and fire the imaginations of his grandchildren and friends. But also something that was safe, looked correct in his garden and would stand up to the seaside elements.

“So I approached him with the idea that I could build him a pirate ship that could have various pieces of play equipment on it and most interestingly, I could carve a life-size pirate to go with it. He thought it was a brilliant idea and instructed me to get on with it!

“So that’s exactly what I did. With the help of my dad, we built a pirate ship and after a couple of months we installed it in my client’s garden.

“He was absolutely over the moon, as were his grandchildren. He was so pleased he suggested to me that I really ought to make this into a business and that he would help, support and advise me to bring the idea into fruition.

“It happened to be perfectly timed as at roughly the same point I was becoming very busy with my carving work – too busy for just myself but not enough to justify employing someone else full-time.

“The new business has enabled me to take someone on, allowing me to have an extra pair of hands in the workshop for times when I need help with my sculpting work. Then when I don’t, this extra pair of hands can be busy building the play equipment with my guidance and help.

“The idea is to produce a range of carved accessories - pirates, seagulls, gargoyles, knights in shining armour, that can accompany each play kit. People can accessorise to their heart's content!”

In creating the playscapes, Simon takes his inspiration from the world around him as well as his imagination and dreams from his childhood days growing up in the heart of the Sussex countryside.

For more details visit groveswoodenworlds.co.uk