37. The Oak-Framed Home
We almost lost the art of building homes from oak in Britain. Thankfully, someone in Herefordshire wasn’t going to let that happen.
In today’s show we celebrate a dad who revived the medieval craft and built a business.
Number 37 on our list of the greatest items we make here is The Oak-Framed Home.
Merry Albright is creative director of Border Oak, and daughter of the founder, John David Greene. She shows us around the firm’s workshops in Leominster as we celebrate the skills her dad had to relearn and then teach others.
Also on the show, we consider why we stopped making homes from trees, invite MPs to look through the company’s business accounts, question why the planning system became so combative, and fall in love with a boxed heart.
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The Factory Next Door
What’s on your list of the greatest products made in Britain? Join journalist Steve Duke as he criss-crosses the island to meet our makers in their factories and workshops.
Whilst compiling our list, we hear stories of people pursuing perfection, tales of difficult times, and reasons for optimism.
Winner of the Best Business Show at the Independent Podcast Awards 2024.
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- No. of episodes: 40
- Latest episode: 2025-07-22
- Arts Business Design Entrepreneurship
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