Northbrook College student shows off carpentry skills on Grand Designs  

Sarah Carter, a woodworking student at Northbrook College, was recently featured in an episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs, alongside her partner Howard.  

The episode centred around their plans to transform a World War II landing craft into a metallic, floating home, while blending into the local houseboat community.  

A part of the episode centred on Sarah’s evening woodwork classes at the college, which enabled her to be able to design furniture for their boat. She said the skills she developed during her time at the course helped her build the boat of her dreams: 

“We reached a critical point in the boat, where Howard was still trying to make the boat watertight and get the basic structure in place. So, the idea of making little pieces of furniture seemed wrong at that stage. So, I turned my new skills to door frames with my lecturer Ian’s help. 

“I really enjoy woodturning; it’s what got me into the course in the first place. It was my friend Julie, who had always wanted to do some woodturning. I’d grown up with my dad doing woodturning, and I assumed it was hugely skilful, and something I could never imagine doing.  

“But very quickly we learned to go from a kind of a crude block of wood to objects like a rolling pin…. it’s so satisfying, and it sort of became my obsession.”  

Sarah also discussed how she had found the course, explaining:  
“The woodwork course has really enabled me to have a significant involvement in the building of this house and project, and the joy of being able to live here and touch and use the things from that course is a fantastic feeling.”  

To watch the episode that Sarah was featured in, click here. To learn more about the course Sarah studied, click here.