Personal History

Born in 1952 in Finchley,North London, I attended the local Our Lady of Lourdres Catholic primary school. My face and name were not unknown; previous generations had also left their mark. A comprehensive secondary school education followed with CSE and GCE "O"level exams taken and passed. An incomplete apprenticeship as a chef at the Hyde Park Hotel, where a passion for good cooking and food was discovered and where the first practical experiences with rare, special and exotic products were made. Excursions made into the metalworking trade and the jewellery industry. London was left behind in 1973(not intentionally forever) and after a short stay in Ostend and Antwerp, I arrived in Berlin. A cold winter and early morning starts. A job for six months at one of the inland harbours. Four and a half years working for the British military administration in Berlin and then the chance at a second apprenticeship as a Cabinetmaker. The apprenticeship started in Autumn 1979 and successfully finished in 1982. Work experience in the next few years at other carpenter and cabinetmakers workshops helps me with my decision to open my own workshop in 1988. The workspace is shared from the start with bookbinder and artist Julia Büttelmann and a few years later with my partner and future wife ceramic artist Evelyn Klam.Our son Finbar,was born in the summer of 1988. We called our collective workshop the"Werk-Kunst-Etage". This creative partnership, with all its ups and downs lasted over fifteen years. But like everything else "all things come to pass". A new workshop was sought and found in Berlin,Tiergarten, the neighbouring district .The move was completed, with a tear and a smile, to Pohlstrasse in 2006. Full details of my address and contact information can be found under the appropriate tab above.

Photo:Gezett,Berlin